Plummet
by Wyrmseeker
Summary: Heath and Florina are shot down during battle and left behind. They catch up shortly after, but by then, they're beginning to learn more about each other than they ever knew about themselves, and mysterious forces are putting plans for them into motion.
1. Prepare to Charge!

"Umm, let's see…" Florina muttered, crouching over her open pack, going through her pre-battle checklist. "Vulnerary, slim lance, javeli… Eeek!"

Something large and scaly had brushed against her back. Spinning around, Florina found herself face-to-face with the most hideous creature she had ever seen. It had bony spikes coming off the back of its head, green, scaly skin that covered its massive body, a long snout with flaring nostrils at the end, and a few rows of sharp teeth that lined its massive maw.

Florina slowly backed away, stricken by fear. The monster slowly advanced on her as it did so. Its mouth was only slightly open, but Florina could see the hunger in its beady eyes. Before long, though, she found her back to a tree, and the beast only continued to draw closer as she stood absolutely motionless.

"Dear… lord…" Florina whispered, afraid to speak too loud.

The monstrosity that was pinning her to the tree cocked its head to one side. It had heard her, but couldn't understand her. It sniffed at her, hoping to identify her somehow.

Florina clamped her eyes shut, hoping for the end to come swiftly.

Or else, not at all.

"Hyperion!" came a voice.

Florina felt a rush of air as the monster turned away from her. She heard its affectionate growl, and then its footsteps moving away from her. She opened her eyes, and saw the wyvern rider—Heath was his name—stroking the beast's long muzzle, as he turned to face her with a concerned expression.

"Are you all right?" he asked. "Did Hyperion harm you?"

Florina sighed, realizing the 'monster' was merely a wyvern, and what she thought was hunger was only curiosity. "N-No, not at all," she said. "He j-just came up behind me, a-and I was so surprised, I forgot he was a wyvern, and…"

Heath smiled. "I'm sorry, I realize he can be intimidating. Of course, that's what makes him so effective in battle. If that's all…"

"Yes, of course. S-Sorry to bother you," she stammered.

Heath looked back at her. "Are you sure you're all right? You're stammering."

"N-no, it's just that I…"

"Hoy!" a new voice echoed from nearby. "Heath!" The wyvern rider turned to see Sain the knight waving from atop his horse. "You'd best report to Hector's tent! We're receiving our marching orders!"

Heath nodded, and started toward the center of the camp, leading Hyperion behind him. He turned to wave at Florina before continuing on. Sain rode up beside her as she watched the wyvern rider leave, and glanced down at her. "Are you all right, milady? He wasn't bothering you, was he?"

Florina smiled at her friend. "No, Sain, I'm fine." Despite Sain's aggressive and womanizing nature, he and Florina had become good friends during their time in Castle Caelin. He was one of the few men she trusted at all. "His wyvern just startled me."

Sain nodded. "I understand." He smiled at her. "Well, my sweet, if he ever does start to bother you, you know who to ask to beat him down, tie him up and leave him in a bundle at your feet."

Florina laughed softly. "Of course. Thank you, Sain."

Sain smiled broadly, and shouted a command to his mount; the horse shot forward, carrying Sain back toward the main camp. Florina continued her pre-battle check, discovered that her lance was close to breaking, and decided to get a new one before riding into battle.

* * *

"Florina!" Lyn called as Florina approached. "Were have you been? We're almost ready to begin our advance!"

"I'm sorry, Lady Lyndis, I was checking my supplies," Florina replied as she got to Lyn and the other Lords, Hector and Eliwood. The lords were gathered with some other soldiers around Hector's tent. "Tell me, why does Lord Peter want my sister and I to be in the front lines in this battle? We can't see well in fog, especially not when it's heavy as this…"

"It's not the conditions, it's the terrain," Peter responded, arriving from his tent with an arm full of maps. He placed them on a small table set up in front of the tent, then turned to Florina. "If someone were ambushed on the other side of the mountains and in need of rescuing, you'd be able to fly over and help quickly; anyone else would arrive too late."

Florina smiled at the tactician. "Yes, I... suppose that makes sense."

Peter nodded as he brushed his blond hair out of his eyes. Peter wasn't so vain about his appearance as he was insecure; he paid almost as much attention to his hair as he did the battlefield, and hid his extra weight with moderate success under a rugged black cloak. The scraggly beginnings of a blond beard were growing along his chin and the sides of his head. But no matter what he did to make himself look mature or masculine, he always had a boyish air around him, especially when he smiled. Hector had said that they kept the man around for his tactics, not his looks; but even so, no girl could say that Peter was entirely unattractive.

"However, I do want you to take this," Peter said, breaking Florina's train of thought and offering her a torch. "It'll make it a bit easier for you to see the enemy. Also, take a sword; I know you can use it, and there may be a few ax-using bandits out there."

Florina accepted the torch. "I'll get a sword from Merlinus later," she said.

"Good," Peter said. He turned to the others, who were already gathered around the map, and began pointing out his strategy. "Hector, you'll lead one group. You should be able to handle most..."

Florina, sensing that she was no longer needed, turned and set out to fulfill her tactician's orders.

* * *

"Dear me, we're in Bern! Full of single-minded warriors who'd rather eat you than eat with you! Oh, why do I let these callow youths drag my poor, tired body across… oh, sorry, I didn't see you there. How may I help you, Dame Florina?"

Florina couldn't help but smile at the pained expression on Sir Marcus's face. The poor old knight had to stay with the chatty transporter Merlinus all the time, thanks to Peter's decision. They were standing by Merlinus's tent; Marcus's horse was hitched to a post nearby.

"I need a new slim lance," Florina said. "And a sword, please."

"Hold on," Merlinus said, ducking into the tent. There was a few seconds' pause, as the transporter rummaged through the disorganized mess, and then he emerged, carrying the weapons she had asked for. "Here you are," he said, proudly displaying them.

"Thank you," Florina said, collecting her items. She turned and left, returning to where her Pegasus, Huey, was tied to a tree.

"All right, Huey, It's time," she whispered. She untied the Pegasus, carefully mounted it, and then, with a sharp cry, pulled back on the reins.

Huey whinnied, spread his feathery wings, and slowly rose into the air. Once she was several yards above the ground, Florina uttered an Ilian command in her mount's ear, and the Pegasus shot forward.

Florina had never felt happier than when she was flying. She could be alone if she had to, but she could be with the others when she wanted to. She could feel the exhilaration of speeding through the air; the majesty of soaring high over the ground; or the serenity of just hovering and looking up at the sky. Huey felt it too. He was always anxious to spread his wings and get off the ground.

Florina tugged on the reins, and Huey wheeled around in the air. They flew back towards the group.

_I love flying,_ she thought. _But whenever I fly in my dreams, I always wind up…_

Florina lost her train of thought, as she saw something out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she saw the large but sleek form of a wyvern following her. Heath was firmly mounted on its back. Florina tugged back on the reins, and Huey stopped in mid-air, hovering. Heath and his wyvern flew ahead a ways, wheeled around, and slowly glided towards the Pegasus knight. Once they got within earshot of each other, Heath arose and reached towards her, holding a sword by the blade.

"You dropped this when you took off," he said, calling to be heard over the beating of his wyvern's wings.

Florina reached out, grasped the sword hilt, and gently pulled it out of Heath's hand.

"Thanks…" she said, too soft for Heath to hear.

Heath pulled on the reins. His wyvern beat backwards, and, once they were clear of Florina, dove downwards.

_This isn't a dream,_ Florina reminded herself. _I'm on a real battlefield, with real enemies and real friends._

_This isn't a dream, so I'm not going to fall._


	2. Tell me your Dreams

"Our opponent is Lloyd of the Four Fangs," Peter called. "If any of you see him, return here immediately. He's too powerful for most of you to take alone, but if we band together, we can take him easily. Horsemen and Wil, go east. Work your way across the snag, and cut down anyone in your way. Go north, until you reach the far village; then return here, following the path around the west side of the mountain. The rest of you, go straight north. If you lay eyes on Lloyd, stay out of sight. I hope to spend some time winning extra money at the Arena before taking on Lloyd. Any questions?"

There were none. Peter knew there would be none even before he asked; his units knew him well enough to trust his directions.

"Florina, you fly with the east team. Heath, Fiora, you two go north. Watch out for the ballistae. Go."

The tactician stood by Merlinus's tent as the soldiers rode off. Florina kept her eyes forward; she needed to focus hard to see through the fog. _Lord, but it's thick…_

"Florina! Look out!"

Florina's head snapped around to her left; Fiora was flying over the mountains, readying her javelin. Looking to her left, she saw an enemy archer taking aim. She cried out, and Huey reflexively sped up. The sniper's arrow flew through the air behind Florina. A second later, Fiora's javelin went through the sniper's chest, and his body crumpled to the ground.

"Are you all right?" Fiora asked, pulling Makar up next to Huey.

"Y-Yes," said Florina, a bit shaken. She was still quite afraid of bows. "Thank you for saving me, sister, but… what are you doing here? Peter told you to go north."

"And he told you that we could fly over the mountains if we had to," Fiora said. "I make a point of watching over you, Florina, in or out of battle."

"Well, thank you…" Florina said, blushing. "I can't believe it, though… even after all my training, I still need help to stay alive…"

"You know that's not true!" Fiora said. She looked over her shoulder, back in the direction she had come from. "Heath was doing all right on his own, so I just decided to come and see if you needed help. I never meant to make you feel incompetent!" She maneuvered Makar closer to her sister. "Even if he had hit you, you and Huey are tough enough by now that you would have survived, and then gone and taught that archer a lesson! "

"…I don't know… if I could have stayed alive…" Florina said. "What if I fell?"

"You're never going to fall again," Fiora said. "What happened years ago... well, you were just a squire. You're a full-fledged Falcoknight now; you should never worry about falling."

"I… I don't know…"

Fiora peered at her sister, and urged Makar a little closer. "Florina, is something bothering you?"

Florina sighed. "Yes, it is. Did you hear me scream last night?"

"Scream! No… What happened?"

Florina sighed again. "Let me tell you…"

* * *

Florina leaned down, keeping low on Huey as the Pegasus shot forward, riding to meet the charging wyvern rider that was their enemy.

The features of the rider's face were blurred as Florina approached, but she paid no heed to this minor detail as she struck out with her lance. There was no cry, but the rider fell off his mount, struck off-balance by Florina's attack. By the time he hit the ground, he would be dead already.

Florina had no time to catch her breath before another foe materialized out of the mist to fight her. This foe, too, had a blurry face, but had long hair and a woman's chest. That was the only way Florina could distinguish between men and women in these battles, for they all had blurry faces.

That's the way it was in her dreams. And this was one of those dreams.

Felling the new opponent, Florina whipped around, knowing another wyvern rider would be there. Sure enough, a new opponent materialized as she turned. Her foe dove at her, throwing caution to the winds in favor of sheer momentum and power. A simple sideflap maneuver on Huey's part moved Florina out of the way, and the enemy rushed past them. Florina quietly urged Huey to give chase, and soon was within striking distance. She lashed out with her lance; he fell off his mount.

Before meeting her next opponent, she thought for a while. She had had this same dream over and over for almost a week now. She was fighting an endless supply of enemy wyvern riders, and she defeated each by knocking him off his mount. Her tactician, Lord Peter, had said that "Most dreams have no meaning… but there are a few you should pay sharp attention to; a few you should learn from." She could think in this dream, so it obviously wasn't a normal dream. So what was she supposed to do?

Then she remembered another thing Peter said to her:

"The moment you realize it's a dream, you wake up."

She had known this was a dream since it began, so why wasn't she awake?

Then, she raised her eyes to meet her next foe, and gasped out of fear.

She recognized him.

Florina reflexively pulled on the reins; Huey, caught off-guard, bucked back hard. Florina was unable to retain her balance, and, consequentially, fell off.

As she fell, the wyvern rider waved at her, smiling malevolently.

Florina turned in the air. There was no ground in sight. She was falling down a bottomless chasm, and would never stop.

She'd never wake up.

Then, the ground appeared. It didn't come into view, it just appeared. Florina only had a few seconds before she hit it.

In the short moment she had before she crashed down, she screamed.

"FLORINA!"

She shot up; she had awoken. Someone was in her tent with her, holding her shoulders.

"You were screaming," came a voice. "What's the matter?"

The voice was too deep to be a woman's, but soft and caring. It was too dark to tell who her visitor was, but she didn't care. She fell forward, burying her head in their chest.

"Florina? What are you…?"

"I had a nightmare," she said, softly crying. "I was fighting all these wyvern riders with blurred faces… and then one came along whom I recognized, and…"

"Recognized? Who was it?"

Florina opened her eyes. She thought hard, but couldn't remember who the rider was. She didn't even remember what he looked like; just that it was a he.

"I-I can't remember," she moaned. "B-But I saw, him, and then I… I fell…"

"Oh, is that all?" came the voice, softening. "Florina, you don't need to worry about falling. You know that already."

"But… P-Peter says some dreams have meanings, and maybe this one means…"

"Florina, look at me."

The man grabbed her shoulders again, and she looked up. It was still so dark, she still couldn't make out any features of his face, but she saw his eyes, and looked into them. It made her feel a little safer.

"Florina, every day since we met I've been watching you on the battlefield. You are an incredible rider; you always have been. And given how much you've improved since that day... Between your skill and Peter's direction, I guarantee that you will never fall."

"R-Really?"

"I'm an honorable man. I mean everything I say, and I definitely meant that. You are never going to fall off your Pegasus."

Florina sniffed back some tears. "I did… long ago…"

"Well... that is neither here nor there." The man took a firm but gentle hold of her hand. "As I just said, you will never fall again. I guarantee it."

"…Thank you…" Florina whispered.

"I have to go back to my tent now," the man said. "But if you need anything else…"

Florina nodded. She felt the man release her hand, and heard his footsteps leading off. She lay down to go back to sleep, but then she realized that, in the course of their conversation, she never once realized who the man was.

"W-Wait!" she called, softly, so as not to wake up the others. She peered out of her tent, looking around the camp. Whoever it was was already back in their tent. She was afraid of men, and definitely afraid at the prospect of having a man in her tent in the middle of a moonless night without knowing who it was. But that man had helped her... perhaps it was best to simply be thankful for that, at least for now.

She laid back down, and was asleep in a matter of minutes. The rest of her night was untouched by dreams.

* * *

"…Well…" Fiora said. "I… There was a man in your tent last night?"

Florina nodded glumly. "But I didn't recognize him; it was too dark to see, and I was too afraid to remember his voice. But he knew my name, so he must have been a friend…"

"I wouldn't count on it," Fiora said darkly. "But I agree with him, whoever he is. You shouldn't worry about falling. You're skilled enough for me to say that."

"I… I guess… well, see you later…" Florina jostled Huey's reigns. The two of them flew north, leaving Fiora and Makar hovering.

Fiora watched her go for a moment. _A man was in Florina's tent,_ she thought. _I'll have to inquire about that._

_But only after we bring Lloyd to his knees._


	3. Fall of Florina

Few explorers dared to climb the mountains of Bern; of those few, fewer return; and of those few, only a fraction of them have told tales of a fortress in the mountain, serving as home to Bern's most powerful and feared bandits. Wyvern riders had scoured the mountains, both investigating reports made by mountaineers and tracking the bandits back from raids. None of the fly-bys had returned any results.

But only because, flying overhead, the riders had completely missed what they were looking for. For the bandits' fort was not built on the mountain, but _in_ it.

A series of caves had been chiseled into the mountain face by unknown forces long ago, forces far more powerful than anything Mankind had made. A fledgling bandit team, all unseasoned amateurs, had found the fortress nestled in the mountains, and dared to explore its depths. It is unknown what happened next. Some say he came to them from the outside; a few believe he was waiting within the fortress. What is clear, however, is that on that day, a mysterious and powerful new leader came to the bandits. Using their new master and the mysterious fortress, the bandits had quickly risen from an obscure group of highwaymen to a fearsome and dangerous bandit team. The Drakoon bandits were known by all citizens, but not spoken of out of fear.

It was the leader of the Drakoons, in their mountain fort, that watched over the scene below.

"Guards," he called, his voice sounding cool and frightening.

Two of the bandits entered from their positions just outside the door. They were dressed and shaped as typical bandits were. Looking at them, you would never guess they were Drakoons until it was too late.

"See the battle below us?" the mysterious figure spoke, gesturing out the window.

The bandits went to the window, and looked out of the stone portal. One shook his head. "I can't see nothing, boss. The fog's too thick."

"Look closer," the man replied, softly. "Remember, you are Drakoons. Nothing is safe or hidden from you."

Without a word, the two bandits peered further into the fog. At last, they began to make out shapes. Then, the shapes became figures, one of whom was quite familiar to them.

One of the guards' eyes widened. "Is… Is that Lloyd? Lloyd, the Black Fang assassin?"

"It is," the master replied. "I am unsure, however, of whom he is fighting."

Both the bandits looked over at the tall, blue-haired man commanding the forces that opposed Lloyd. "We don't know him neither, boss," one replied. "But if he's fighting Lloyd… shouldn't we be helping?"

"No," the leader replied. "Lloyd is our enemy, as are all of the Fang assassins. They have almost found our fortress one time too many. But that is of little consequence right now. There are some people, fighting for the blue-haired lord, that I want brought to me. Immediately."

"Which ones?" one of the men asked, still looking out the window.

"There is a lavender-haired girl," he said. "She rides a Pegasus. I have plans for her."

"Plans?" the bandits turned back to their master. "You don't mean…"

"Of _course_ not, you fool!" The man's voice betrayed rising anger. "I am not a common, depraved bandit such as yourself!"

"Sorry, sir," the offending bandit muttered quickly.

The master took a deep breath, letting himself grow calm before continuing. "Bring her to me. And the rider who follows her…"

The bandits turned back to the window. Peering through the fog once more, they located the Pegasus knight, and saw a Wyvern rider following her.

"I want him killed."

With no further words, the bandits nodded to their master, and left the fortress.

* * *

Florina took one last look around with her torch held high, and let out a long sigh of relief. She could see no more enemies, nor hear the sounds of battle. Most, if not all, of the enemies had been cleared. She decided to return to the base, and prepare to attack Lloyd. She gently tugged the reins, and Huey sped eastward, over the mountain.

As she approached, Florina saw some dim shapes in the fog. She quickly identified one of them as Hector. As she drew closer, his form grew more distinct. She realized he was waving his arms at her, and was yelling something. Florina spurred Huey onward, at last coming within earshot of the Ostian lord.

"…riders!" He was yelling. "We were going to ambush them, but they've seen you! Florina! Can you hear me! They hid in the mountains! Florina, look out! There are enemy wyvern riders–"

Florina gasped, and tugged violently on the reins. Huey quickly looped about, and tore west across the sky, as three enemy wyvern riders rocketed out of the fog after them.

Florina gritted her teeth against the wind lashing at her face, as she carefully maneuvered Huey through the sky, keeping away from the riders' javelins and the wyverns' powerful jaws. She was a quite capable warrior, but she'd never take on three riders. That was almost certainly suicide for whoever tried it.

Suddenly, the loud screech of a wyvern sounded behind her. Florina took a moment to turn her head, and was greeted by a most unusual sight. Two wyverns were attacking each other in the air, biting and clawing at each other as their riders clung to the reins for dear life. But only one rider was with the enemy. The other was…

"Heath!" She cried, wheeling around in the air to help her companion.

Heath took one arm off of Hyperion's reins, and waved at her. "Go!" he yelled. "Now, while they're distracted!"

Florina looked at him for a moment, then pulled the reins to the left. Huey quickly pulled off, disappearing into the fog with his rider. As soon as they were out of sight, Heath pulled back on his wyvern's reins with all his might. Hyperion tore away from the other wyvern, leaving both it and its rider dazed and confused as Heath and Hyperion vanished into the fog.

As soon as the rider had regained his balance, the three formed a hovering circle in the air.

"Did you see that?" one said. "That was the traitor, Heath!"

"Yeah! The king would pay pretty well to have his head on a platter," another said.

"Fine," said the third. "You can hunt the traitor, but I'm following the Pegasus knight. I know a few people who'd pay well for a pretty face like hers, intact."

The three sped in their separate ways, each pursuing what he hoped would be a great bounty.

* * *

Heath looked back, and saw two enemy riders following him.

_Blast! That means there's one still with Florina!_

Heath pulled sharply on the reins; Hyperion quickly looped around. Heath, not thinking, blindly stuck his lance forward, praying that it would strike home.

It did.

He heard a garbled cry, and saw one of the enemy riders fall backwards off his mount, pushed by the sheer force of Heath's lance.

_Good,_ he thought. _Just one more._

Then, he realized he had lost track of the remaining enemy rider. He looked around, but could not see him anywhere.

_He must have gone into the fog,_ Heath thought. He stood up on Hyperion, ready to counter an attack from any direction.

Any direction that is, except the one the attack actually came from.

Suddenly, Hyperion let out an ear-splitting shriek of pain. Heath looked down, and saw the enemy rider rushing up at him from underneath. His spear was already lodged in Hyperion's left shoulder. As he rose past Heath, his wyvern's barbed tail lashed out, stinging Heath in the back.

Heath cried out in pain as poison from the wyvern's tail shot through his bloodstream. Heath instinctively reached for the vial of antidote he kept on hand in case Hyperion ever accidentally stung him.

But not before Hyperion began to spiral downward. Unable to use his left wing, the wyvern had no choice but to try and land in the mountains using his one good wing. Heath knew he had to get off if he was to use the antidote in time; he couldn't keep the vial steady on the spiraling wyvern.

Then, Heath saw his escape route. The wyvern whose rider he had dislodged earlier was flying towards him, it white teeth bared menacingly. Heath waited until the last possible moment, and then put almost all of his remaining strength into a great leap from Hyperion to the now rider-less wyvern.

Heath landed on the wyvern, took a moment to right himself, and then quickly emptied the vial of antidote before the beast could react to his presence. Then, he quickly stooped down and took the reins of the creature. To his surprise, the beast responded to his commands.

_These things must be dumber than I thought. This one can't tell the difference between its owner and me._

The enemy rider came about, and let out a cry of surprise. He was startled to see his quarry riding on his fallen comrade's wyvern. Heath took advantage of his foe's confusion, and rammed into him.

The man was knocked off his wyvern before he even realized what was going on.

Heath let out a sigh of relief. He started steering the wyvern down, in order to check on the wounded Hyperion, when a sharp, stabbing pain cut into his back.

"Gaah!" he cried, shooting up. He felt his back, and pulled out a small, iron knife.

_A dagger? But… how?_

Then, turning, Heath realized there was another man standing on the wyvern. It was the rider that he thought he had knocked off earlier.

"You…" he whispered. "How did…"

Now he understood. The man had grabbed onto his wyvern's tail as he was falling, and climbed under its belly, clinging on to the reins. Then, when Heath got on the beast, the man had climbed up, and plunged a dagger into Heath's vital organs.

But Heath wasn't going to die without taking out his enemy first.

He swung around his lance, striking his opponent with the blunt end. The powerful attack sent the man flying off the wyvern, this time falling to his doom.

Heath was already disoriented from the dagger in his vitals; when he swung the lance, he lost his balance altogether. He, too, fell off the wyvern.

"Blast!" was all he could say, before plummeting towards the ground.

* * *

"Heath! No!" Florina cried.

She and Huey had been following a random pattern of flying, trying to shake the wyvern rider on their tail. She could never have realized that the pattern would take her within eyesight of Heath, just in time to see the rider fall. She cried to Huey, and the Pegasus dove after Heath. Florina hoped to catch him before he hit the ground.

Suddenly, a spear flew by just to the right of her head. Florina had almost forgotten the rider that was following her. She quickly looped around, reflexively trying to dodge the rider's attacks.

From below, she heard a distant thud. She closed her eyes, trying not to imagine Heath's body lying far below.

_No,_ she thought. _How could I let this happen?_

Suddenly, there was a cry from behind her. Turning, she saw the wyvern rider that had been chasing her falling, his wyvern plummeting after him, with a large bolt in its side.

_A ballista!_ She thought, panicked.

* * *

"You fool!" Lloyd cried. "That was one of our riders that you shot down! Aim for the Pegasus knight!"

The archer manning the ballista behind Lloyd nodded, aimed again, and fired.

* * *

Florina saw the bolt coming, but couldn't do anything about it. She was rigid with fear. Huey, confused, hovered in the air, oblivious to the deadly projectile coming their way.

The bolt struck Huey in the side. The Pegasus whinnied loudly, and started flapping violently. Florina tried her best to hold on, but to no avail. Soon, both Pegasus and rider were falling from the sky, the hard rock of the mountains of Bern waiting for them.

Florina clamped her eyes shut as she fell, praying it would be over soon.

"Florina!" came a voice.

Florina opened her eyes, and was greeted by a most welcome, yet confusing sight. Heath was standing there, his arms extended, ready to catch her.

"Heath!" she cried. "But… you were…"

Between the confusion of seeing a fallen comrade alive, and the intense velocity of her fall, Florina couldn't help but black out.


	4. The Drakoon Bandits

"Florina! Florina, do you hear me?"

Florina awoke to the odd feeling of strong arms gently shaking her. Her eyes fluttered open, and she found herself looking into the face of Heath. The wyvern rider sighed with relief, and sat back, releasing her shoulders. "Thank Elimine you're safe. I was afraid you were… well, you know."

Florina looked up at him confused. "H-Heath? But… I saw you… fall…"

"Hyperion saved me," Heath said. "He used his wings to catch me without killing me. Those things are a lot thicker than they look," he said, looking behind him.

Florina sat up, and saw the wyvern curled up nearby. His left wing was useless, crippled by the enemy rider's attacks, but the right wing was still intact.

"So… then, you s-saved me?" she stammered.

Heath nodded. "Yes. I saw you falling, and… well, what was I supposed to do? I had to save you somehow."

Looking around, Florina realized she was in the mountains, and quite a ways up at that. Far below her, she could see the battlefield, although she couldn't see any people through the fog.

"The others… they're still down there?" she asked, cautiously peering downwards.

"Yes," Heath replied. "I don't think they saw us fall. But we could go back to base camp; it's just to the south, down the mountain."

"Oh!" Florina said. "Well, let's go!" She quickly got to her feet, anxious to return to the others.

"Well… you can go," Heath said, looking down. "But I'm kinda stuck here for a while."

"What do you mean?" Florina said. Then, she saw his leg. "Ah!"

Heath's leg was sticking out from under his body at a bad angle. It was bleeding; not too badly, but enough to make Florina turn her head.

"I think it broke under the impact when I caught you," Heath said, gingerly touching the mangled extremity. "Anyway, I can't put any weight on it. You're better off trying to meet up with the others yourself, and leaving me here."

"Wait!" Florina said. "I think I have a splint here." She opened her pack, and pulled out a splinting kit and a few vulneraries. "First, I have to treat the wound," she said. Before Heath could object, she began rubbing some of the healing salve into his leg wound. Heath winced at the stinging ointment.

"Florina, you don't have time for this," he complained. "You have to get back to camp and report in. You can bring a healer up later. I'll be fine until then."

Florina shook her head. "I can't just ignore this," she said, still rubbing the salve on Heath's bloody leg.

"Well, wouldja look at that!" came a new voice.

Turning, Heath and Florina saw a pair of brigands standing on a rock nearby.

"Guess they figured they'd have a little privacy up here," the one who had spoken continued, eyeing Florina.

"That's not it, you idiot!" the other said. "She's just treatin' his wounds!"

"Really!" the first laughed. "Mebbe we can get 'er to treat my wounds, too!"

"You have to _be_ wounded, first," Heath growled. He slowly and shakily rose, brandishing his axereaver lance.

"Heath!" Florina cried, grabbing him. "You can't fight in your condition."

"Just watch me," Heath muttered to her as he shook her off. He glared at the bandits, standing shakily. "I'll give you two blackguards the option of turning back now. Otherwise, you'll have me to deal with."

"Big talk," one of the bandits said, crossing his arms and grinning. "But it don't sound so big coming from a man with a broken leg. Besides, the Drakoon bandits aren't impressed by big talk."

Heath's eyes widened. "Drakoons? You're Drakoons?"

"Smart lad, ain'tcha?" one of the bandits said mockingly.

"What would the Drakoon bandits want with us?" Heath said, narrowing his eyes.

"Direct orders from the boss," one of the bandits said. "We're to take the girl and kill you."

Heath smiled. "Just try it."

The bandits smiled malevolently. "We was hoping you'd say that."

One of the bandits leaped from the rock at Heath. Heath held up his lance, and deflected his foe's blow, quickly following up with an upward stab. He didn't land a direct hit, but knocked the bandit sideways so that he landed, dazed, on a nearby rock. Heath didn't get a chance to follow up his advantage, however, before he had to duck under the other bandit's throwing ax.

"You ain't dealin' with no common rabble now, boy," the bandit snarled, leaping forward to retrieve his ax. "We Drakoons know our tactics."

The bandit rushed forward, lifting a colossal ax into the air. Heath rolled off to the side; the ax struck the stone of the mountain an inch to the left of his head. Unfortunately, no sooner was Heath back on his feet then the bandit had recovered his balance as well, and stood facing the rider, the enormous ax in his hand.

Heath braced for the bandit's attack, but it never came. As the brigand was about to strike, he cried out in pain and fell backwards. Florina had struck his leg with the butt of her lance, and was now running towards Heath.

"Are you all right!" she cried.

"Stay back!" Heath yelled. "The other one, he's–"

Before Heath could complete his warning, the first bandit had recovered his senses and tossed his ax into Florina's path. While the blade did not damage her, it caused her to stumble, landing in a heap at Heath's feet. He quickly helped her up.

"Florina! Are you all right?"

"Hmmm? Aah…" Florina shook her head for a moment, trying to get her bearings. "Yes, I'm fine… they just caught me off-guard, that's all."

"Well, better not let it happen again," Heath said, looking up. "They're getting ready to attack again."

The bandits stood next to each other, axes raised.

"Hoy, wench!" one yelled. "Why don't you get outta our way? We're gonna want you to be in good condition when we present you to the boss!"

Florina let out a pathetic whimper, and hid behind Heath. The rider pointed his lance towards the bandits.

"So long as I live, neither of you may lay a finger on her!" he cried, wincing in pain. His leg was getting harder to stand on the more he fought with it.

"Suits us fine," the bandit replied. "The boss did want you dead, after all."

One of the bandits lunged, but his partner failed to follow. His attack was somewhat hindered by the powerful Pegasus jaws clamped around the back of his tunic.

Florina gasped in delight. "Huey!"

The Pegasus reared and whinnied, pulling back on the unfortunate bandit. The brigand yelped as the winged horse jerked him backwards. In his surprise, he dropped his ax. Heath quickly dove for it, but was beaten to it by the other bandit. With both axes in hand, the brigand evaded Heath's clumsy dive, and turned his attention to the Pegasus.

"Huey!" Florina cried, shocked. "No!"

Her cries did no good for the hapless Pegasus. The bandit turned his full fury on the horse. Huey quickly released the other bandit and fell back, somberly nursing his fresh, deep wounds.

The bandits turned to Heath and Florina, their eyes burning with hatred, their faces hidden behind malevolent grins.

"Now, it's our turn," one growled. The bandits raised their axes in one swift, synchronized motion.

Heath pointed his lance toward them, his face twisted by pain and fury. "You want her!" he cried. "You'll have to come and get her!"

The bandits wasted no more breath on words, but exerted all their strength and rage, leaping at the Wyvern rider in one deadly move.

At the last moment before the axes connected, Heath spun his lance sideways, holding it horizontally in front of him. Both axes bounced of the solid metal, leaving a resounding noise and two dents in the axereaver. Heath followed up his advantage in a way nobody had expected; he spun around, swinging his lance after him. The pointed tip cut across the chests of both bandits, leaving large gashes.

Heath drew back the lance, and was about to deliver the fatal blow, when the mountainside exploded in dust and smoke. Florina gasped in shock; both the Wyvern rider and their antagonists were lost to her vision now.

"Heath!" she cried, growing more agitated by the second. "Heath, where are you?"

A deep-throated growl off to her left quickly drew her attention to Hyperion, whom had been awoken by the sounds of battle. His wing was still useless, but his powerful legs were all tensed as he lumbered into the dust cloud. Within moments, his huge snout was sniffing at one bloody pile of dust, which soon began coughing violently.

"Heath!" she cried, running to the rider. "Are you all right!"

Heath's leg was worse than ever. A great deal of dust had entered the wound as well, making it that much more painful. He had been further injured by the explosion. Heath opened his eyes, slowly and painfully, and looked up at the Pegasus knight. "Fl… Florina? Where… the bandits… where did they…"

Florina shook her head. "I don't know… H-Heath, the explosion… they just… disappeared…" she felt the rider's leg. "Heath…"

Heath sat up, grunting in pain all the while. He looked into Florina's eyes, and his grimace seemed to soften a bit. "Florina, you need to go. Tell the others what happened. I need a healer…" he closed his eyes, and lay back down.

Florina shook her head. "No, Heath… I-I can't just leave you… not now… and Huey… and Hyperion… all injured…"

She looked down at Heath, then Huey, then the wounded Hyperion, who had somehow slept through it all.

"Heath… so much blood… so many wounds…what am I supposed to do?"

There was no reply.

"H-Heath?" She gently shook the rider. "Heath!"

Heath was no longer awake. Florina took one last look at the mounts around her, tried to see someone, anyone, through the fog, looking around for someone who might help. She saw no one.

Tired, confused, and afraid, Florina buried her face into the unconscious wyvern rider's chest. Her sobbing could be heard from many meters away, but, ironically, did not carry down into the valley where the troop was camped, where Lyn was beginning to wonder where she had disappeared to.

* * *

The bandits were looking at there feet as they heard the master approach. They knew that it was he who had set off the dust bomb, opened one of the many secret trapdoors the Drakoons had hidden throughout the mountainside, and ordered them inside under the cover of the dust. The only question they had was "why". Why not let them meet their deaths at the wyvern rider's lance? Why pull them in here?

The master soon entered the room. They clumsily dropped to their knees.

"S-Sir, we failed you," one bandit quickly stammered. "We were defeated by a lone, defenseless wyvern rider. We deserve whatever fate you wish upon us."

"Please, give us another chance," the second pleaded. "If we went back up now, we'd have the element of surprise… we could destroy the rider in a single blow."

The master chuckled. "You become surprisingly verbose when you enter my presence, don't you? Get up. You have served my purpose admirably."

The bandits glanced over at each other, and, when each saw that the other was equally perplexed, they rose, slowly and reluctantly, to their feet.

"What?" one asked. "You told us to kill the rider, and we failed…"

"So you did, so you did." The master turned from them. "Ah, how to put it so that you may understand… my goal was not what it appeared to be. I asked you to do what I asked you to do because I knew you would be unable to do it."

The bandits shared another nervous, confused glance.

"However, you were able to achieve another goal by failing to meet the one assigned to you."

One of the bandits reluctantly asked, "What goal might that be, master?"

The master chuckled again. "All in due time, Drakoon. All shall be revealed soon enough. Now, return to your quarters. You shall enjoy increased rations for the next week as a reward for so admirably fulfilling my wishes."

The bandits knew better than to argue with their leader. They left the room, as requested, and while each had his misgivings, neither dared give voice to them.


	5. Left Behind

Peter looked up at the sound of his tent flap being drawn aside to see Lyn and Hector entering the tent that served as his home. The two Lycian lords had somber looks on their faces; Lyn didn't even look up.

"No word on Heath or Florina," the tactician surmised.

"Nothing," Hector replied. "Florina ran off into the fog to avoid enemy wyvern riders; if Heath's gone, too, maybe he went to help her."

"I hope so," Peter sighed. "At least that way, they can take care of each other. Heath is a capable fighter, and Florina is a capable healer."

Hector nodded his agreement.

Lyn, however, shook her head. "If they are separate, what then? Florina's on her own. And even if they are together, how do we know Heath has noble intentions at all?"

Peter cocked his head. "I don't... understand. What do you mean?"

"He was a soldier of Bern," Lyn said, glaring at the tactician. "He's still loyal to the kingdom. You can see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice. And when we found him, he was working for a group of mercenaries that was sent to capture Nils and Ninian. He probably only joined us out of fear for his life. I'd be willing to bet he kidnapped Florina himself. A prisoner, especially one riding a Pegasus, may be enough for Heath to buy his way back into–"

"That's quite enough," Hector rumbled. He wasn't angry, but his voice boomed through the thin canvas of the tent. Peter slowly scooted his chair back from the ax-wielding giant.

"It's true that Heath is still loyal to Bern. That's why he joined us in the first place," Hector said, looking down at Lyn, who also tried to back away. "He knows something's wrong with the king. The old king wouldn't order his wyverns to attack innocent civilians, or send his wife and true son to the manse while living in the palace with his concubine and bastard daughter. Heath doesn't know any more about the situation than we do, but he has the drive and the will to repair it any way he can." He took a breath. "There is no way Heath would turn Florina over to the changed king. He wouldn't wish that fate on anyone. He wants help his king by curing his ailment, not furthering his mad designs."

Hector looked around. Peter's eyebrows were lifted, and Lyn was standing firm, though her eyes revealed great intimidation and awe at Hector's speech. The Ostian lord cleared his throat, blushing. "Erm... I have to go talk to... uh... Matthew... about infiltrating the palace, in case we have to." He briskly turned and left.

Peter gave Lyn a small smile. "Well, if that didn't convince you of Heath's intentions, I don't know what will. It's not every day we can get Hector to form more than one sentence at a time."

Lyn sighed. "It's not Heath. I'm just worried about Florina. I always have been, and probably always will be. No matter who she's with, I don't trust that person."

Peter nodded. "She is somewhat... fragile for a warrior. But I'm sure Heath's taking good care of her."

"What if he's not with her?"

"Then he's probably spending all his strength looking for her." Peter got up and patted Lyn's hand. "Florina can handle herself anyway. She's a good fighter and a good healer. If Heath happens to be with her, I doubt anything could happen."

Lyn shook her head. "Do you remember your first meeting with Florina? She was being attacked by bandits, and I understand there are quite a few brigands running around in the Bern mountains, where Florina was last seen."

"She has grown so much since that last encounter," Peter insisted. "Despite what you, or she, or anyone else thinks, she can handle most threats herself." He looked out the tent flap at the darkening sky. "It's getting late. Pent and Louise have informed me that the queen will see us at Bern Manse, so we must move quickly if we are to attend the meeting and get a good night's rest."

Lyn started. "We're leaving? But Heath and Florina could try to find us! We should stay–"

"We don't have time," Peter insisted. "Please, Lyn. She'll be fine. If we left now, and she rested until tomorrow, it would take at most a day for her to catch up. She knows where we're going, and she can survive until we see her again." He took a firm hold of Lyn's hand. "We will see her again."

Lyn hesitated, then nodded. "All right. Fiora's still looking for her sister. I'll get Eliwood to tell her we're going. She'll take it best from him."

Peter nodded. "Very well. Get packing. We need to get going as soon as we possibly can."

* * *

Florina awoke with the setting sun in her eyes. She sat up slowly, blinking. She was trying to remember the events that had transpired before she lost consciousness. 

_Falling… Heath… bandits… master… Heath… Drakoons… Huey… Heath… injured… blood… dust… Hyperion… Heath…_

She screamed and leaped away from the Wyvern Rider, whom she had been sleeping on for several hours.

Heath came awake at her scream. "What?! What is it?!" he cried, jumping up and grabbing his lance.

Florina just looked at him, too terrified to speak.

Heath looked over at her. "Florina? Florina, what is it?"

Florina finally regained control of her voice. "N-Nothing," she stammered. "N-Nothing a-at all."

Heath nodded slowly, confusedly. "But… then why were you…"

"I-It's nothing," she repeated quickly.

Heath peered at her. "So the stammer is... normal?"

Florina only nodded.

Heath pursed his lips, but nodded. "All right." He stood up, stretched, and looked around. "How long was I out?" he asked upon seeing the sunset. They were still up in the mountains. To the east, they could see what had once been the battlefield; they couldn't see too far south, but the camp had been there, as well as a small village they had visited before entering battle with Lloyd.

Florina shook her head. "I don't know," she said, beginning to bring her stammer under control. "I w-was out, too."

Heath looked back at her. "The others? Any word from them?"

"N-No," she said. She was feeling ashamed for having fallen asleep at such a critical time.

Heath looked down the mountainside. "We need to get moving," he said. "We may still be able to catch up if we hurry."

"B-But… what about Huey? And Hyperion?"

Heath looked back at the wyvern and Pegasus. They were both asleep: Hyperion from laziness, Huey from exhaustion. Both of them were badly wounded. Hyperion's left wing was still useless, but he could at least walk. Huey lacked even that luxury.

"All right," he sighed. "You stay here and guard them. I'll go back to camp, and tell the others where you are. Stay put; I'll bring help."

Florina shook her head. "No," she said. "You can't go. Your leg's still hurt."

Heath looked down at his leg, which was actually looking much better than it had. "Hmm? Oh, right. It's funny, though; I don't feel any pain." He smiled at Florina. "Whatever you did to it, I guess it worked!"

Florina shook her head. "It's still not good enough to go down a mountain on," she insisted. "I'll go."

"I can't allow it," Heath said, his smile fading. "You're too exhausted from that battle."

"I didn't do anything in the battle!" Florina said. "I only fell asleep because I… I…" she trailed off, not wanting to let Heath know she had cried herself to sleep.

"Hey, you know something?" Heath said, distracting her.

"What?" she asked.

"You've stopped stammering."

Florina's eyes widened. "R-Really?"

Heath frowned. "Blast. There it is again. I guess I spoiled it."

Florina nodded, confused. "Oh…"

"Anyway," Heath continued, "My leg's fine. I can make it down the mountain without hurting myself. I'll be back soon. Don't worry."

"B-But…"

Florina's protest came too late. Heath had already vanished down the mountain.

* * *

The same Drakoon bandits who had attacked the pair earlier were watching through one of the many spy holes they had hidden about the mountain. Along with the hidden entrances to the fortress, these spy holes allowed the Drakoons to watch and attack anyone foolish enough to traverse the mountains. 

"We could jump 'er now," one whispered. "The girl's on her own now. We could grab her and take her to the boss before the other one gets back."

The other bandit hit him in the back of his head. "When will you learn! That's not what the boss wanted. He just wants us to leave them alone fer now."

The first bandit nodded. "Right, right. It's just confusin'…"

"That's because you're stupid."

"Who're you callin' stupid?!" the first one said, standing.

"Get down!" the other whispered, pulling him back down. "He's comin' back."

* * *

Heath was shaking his head as he returned. "They abandoned the camp," he called to Florina. "It's too late to catch up to them now, with our mounts in the condition they are." 

Florina closed her eyes. That was the last thing she needed; to be away from Lyn and Fiora for any longer. "What do we do now?" she asked.

"We have no choice," Heath said. "We'll stay at an inn in the local village tonight, let Hyperion and Huey heal, and then strike out first thing in the morning. As long as we're not hindered by anything else tomorrow, we should be able to catch up to the others quickly enough."

Florina nodded. "All right," she said, opening her eyes. "The village is... it's just down the mountain, right?"

"Right. It's just a few minutes' walk from the campsite. We can make it before it gets too dark, if we hurry." He started down the mountain, calling to Hyperion. Aroused by its master's voice, the wyvern started plodding down the mountain after Heath.

Florina turned to her Pegasus. "Huey?" she whispered, stroking the creature's mane.

Huey opened his eyes, looking up into the face of his mistress.

"Huey, can you walk?" she said softly.

At her words, the Pegasus slowly started to rise. He stood, shakily, but on all four hooves.

"Good," Florina said. "Come with me. We're going to the camp. We'll take it slow."

Huey and Florina started down the mountain after Heath and Hyperion. Heath only once paused his stride to turn back, and gaze at Florina and Huey descending against the silhouette of the rising moon.

_It's almost like a dream,_ he thought.

He turned again and led Hyperion down the mountain toward the village.


	6. Awkward Silences

Heath slowly opened his eyes. As the blur around him cleared, he realized he was on his back, on an old bed with several missing springs. He got up, and was suddenly knocked back by a shooting pain in his injured leg. He bit his lip to keep from crying out, and pushed himself up by his elbows. Looking around, he saw he was in a small room, probably in an inn. The morning sun peeked through one small window and one large knothole at him. Apart from the bed, the room was devoid of other furnishings or inhabitants. Heath slowly tried to stand, gently setting his broken leg down and standing up on the other. He finally started to balance himself when Florina came in the small wooden door

"Heath!" she cried. "Get back in bed! What are you doing?!"

The wyvern rider fell back on the bed, surprised by Florina's sudden entrance. "Florina!" he cried. "Where am I? What happened?"

Florina hauled in a bucket of hot water and began cleaning his leg. The hot water stung, and to him the leg looked as clean as it had ever been, but he didn't complain for fear of angering her.

"This is the inn we stayed at last night," Florina answered. "It was very reasonable, though we now have only about 300 gold left."

"We checked into an inn?" Heath asked, rubbing his head. "Why don't I remember–?"

"You..." Florina looked up at him. "You were walking down the mountain, when you twisted your ankle, fell down, and hit your head."

Heath could now feel the bump on his head. He sighed. "Wonderful. As if I wasn't injured enough already."

"Hyperion knew what to do, though," Florina continued. "He lifted you onto his back, and carried you the rest of the way into town."

"Where is he now?" Heath asked. "And Huey?"

"The inn has a stable that caters to all kinds of animals, for an added cost," Florina said. "Huey and Hyperion are resting down there."

Heath nodded, then shook his head in disbelief. "Stupid, stupid..."

"What is it?" Florina asked.

"I can't believe I did that," Heath said. "Twist my ankle. It wasn't that dark. I should have seen it coming, and avoided it. How could I have done a stupid thing like that?"

"You..." Florina cleared her throat nervously. "I-I'm not sure, but I th-think you were looking b-back... at me..."

Heath remained silent for a long time. Florina started to clean his wounds again. "And there's the stutter," Heath muttered to himself.

Florina sighed. "I hope you don't mind, but we could only afford a one-bed room."

"It's fine with me," Heath said, hoping she wouldn't take that the wrong way.

Florina nodded. "Of course."

"It's you I'd be worried about," Heath said.

"What do you mean?"

Heath hesitated a moment before going on. "Well, I know you're scare of... well, men. And I just so happen to be a man. But you and I were in the same bed last night. Were you..." he cleared his throat. "Was that a problem for you?"

Florina looked at him for a long time, not speaking. Heath didn't move. He had noticed there was only one bed as soon as he awoke, but hadn't asked Florina about it earlier for fear of a situation like this.

"...Yes," Florina said. "Yes, it was a problem for me. In fact..." she moved away from the bed. "This is a problem for me too. I just don't trust you, Heath. I don't know you well enough to be near you."

Heath looked at her. Externally, he nodded, but Florina saw in his eyes that he was surprised and saddened by her revelation.

Florina took another breath. "But for some reason... I don't know, Heath, but I just have a feeling about you. Like..." She smiled feebly. "It doesn't make any sense, but I don't think I have any reason not to trust you." She continued cleaning his wound. "So no, it's not a problem. We can sleep in the same bed, and I can heal you, and it won't be a problem. It's not like I have a choice, but even if I did, I think that I would stay with you."

Heath smiled, but not enough for her to see. "Why do you think that is?" he asked, choosing his words slowly and carefully so he could avoid any more awkward silences.

"Because you need me to take care of you," Florina said. "If it weren't for me, you'd still be lost on that mountain by now."

Heath sat up, indignant. "What? I, Miss Florina, am a former wyvern knight of Bern. I can jolly well take care of myself!"

Florina stifled a laugh. "Oh, is that so? Then why is the former wyvern knight sitting in bed while 'iss Florina' is wishing he'd hold still long enough for her to fix his leg?"

The conversation continued for a long time, as Florina replaced the splints and had Heath try walking again. She seemed to be constantly giggling now, even as he stumbled across the room and grabbed at the old wooden walls for support. He could not help but laugh along with her.

"Florina," he said at last.

"What is it, Heath?" she asked. She stopped laughing, but her smile remained.

"You're right," Heath said. "Without you, I couldn't have survived the bandit's attack. And you even healed me afterwards. I owe you my life twice over."

Florina shook her head. "Oh, no, you owe me nothing. I merely..."

Heath put his hand on her shoulder, smiling and shaking his head. "It doesn't matter. Forget I mentioned it."

Florina nodded, and smiled shyly. Heath realized he was touching her, and slowly withdrew his hand. "I'm sorry," he said.

"Y-yeah," Florina replied.


	7. Sir Kent

A frustrated Eliwood made his way back to his tent early the next morning. Florina and Heath's absence had not been lost on the troops; Fiora, especially, was angry over the loss of her sister. In the meantime, the queen of Bern would not see them unless they found the Fire Emblem. The Black Fang was hounding their every step; they had already reached the king of Bern, and made him oust the queen and prince. Every day, it seemed like the world was coming more and more to bear on the shoulders of Eliwood and his friends. He entered his tent and started packing; they were moving out to the palace.

"Lord Eliwood," came a voice.

Eliwood jumped in surprise, bringing out his rapier. "Who's there?!" he demanded.

Kent stepped into the tent, and stopped at the sight of Eliwood's blade. "Please, do not be alarmed. It's just me, my lord."

Eliwood let out a breath, and sheathed his blade. "Kent. I'm sorry I reacted that way. I suppose..." he shook his head. "I've been a little on edge lately. I apologize."

Kent shook his head. "It is I who should apologize; I didn't mean to startle you like that." He stepped forward. "You'll forgive me for my intrusion, but feel I must speak with you."

"Be fast," Eliwood said, returning to his packing. "We have ten days to find this 'Fire Emblem,' or the queen won't grant us an audience. We need to get moving to the palace."

"_You_ need to get moving," Kent said. "But I..." he took a breath. "I request that you give me a different mission."

Eliwood stopped, and turned around. "What do you mean?"

"Heath and Florina," the knight replied. "Their absence is affecting the morale of the troops."

"I've noticed that," Eliwood replied. "But what can I do about it? We have too little time to try and find them, if there's anything to find. Fiora and Lyn will have to accept the fact that we may not see Florina for some time."

"It's not just their close friends who are affected by their absence," Kent said. "You, Peter, and Lord Hector have held this army together remarkably well so far. We have not yet suffered one casualty."

Eliwood remained silent. The word "casualty" brought thoughts of his father.

"But with Heath and Florina gone," Kent continued, "That record is flawed. The troops as a whole are frightened that we left two soldiers behind. Each one is asking himself, 'What if that had been me?'"

"Your point is made," Eliwood said. "But as I explained, we can't retrieve them."

"_We_ can't," Kent agreed. "But _I_ can. And if I were able to..."

Eliwood spun around angrily. "You have an obligation to your lady and to this army to assist us! We're heading to Bern Palace, and we have no idea what awaits us there. I cannot spare one man, and I find it appallingly presumptuous of you to ask that I make an exception!"

Kent remained calm in the face of Eliwood's outburst. The lord saw his face, and quickly calmed down himself. "I apologize," Eliwood sighed. "The truth is, we have had casualties before. Leila, and my father, and everyone who fell before us for the wrong reasons. Not a member of this army has been killed, true. But when you said we had a spotless record, I..." he trailed off and turned away, wiping his eyes with his sleeve.

Kent looked down. "Please, my lord," he said gently. "Do not add Heath and Florina to those you just named." He hesitated before continuing. "As you mentioned, Dame Fiora is having a hard time dealing with her sister's absence. It pains me to see her like this, and... I know you care about her as well."

Eliwood tensed up, but nodded his agreement.

"My lord, I ask this of you for her sake. Allow me to ride south, back to the village near where we battled Lloyd. I'll look there, and then meet you at Bern Palace. If I find them, I'll bring them." He hesitated. "If I don't find them..."

"...If you don't find them, the sun will stop shining and the world will stop turning," Eliwood finished. "So you had damned well better find them." He looked at Kent. "Permission granted. If you move quickly, you can make it to the village by dusk."

Kent smiled, and bowed. "Thank you, my lord."

"Lyndis has direct command over you," Eliwood reminded him. "Be sure you get her approval as well."

"I doubt it will be a problem," Kent replied. "But thank you for reminding me." He turned to go. "By your leave..."

Eliwood nodded, and the knight was gone. The lord returned to his work with a slightly lighter heart; if nothing else, the encounter with Kent had cheered him up. If Kent was successful in finding Heath and Florina, it would be a huge boost to morale. It also interested Eliwood that the knight seemed to have picked up on his feelings for Fiora—especially since the lord didn't really _have_any feelings for her beyond simple friendship.

He smiled to himself. _Well,_he thought, _if I ever do become interested in her, it looks like I'll already know who my rival is._

* * *

"And so, valorous Lord Kent prepares to ride alone to the rescue of his wayward comrades, the fair Florina and her stalwart companion Heath!" 

Kent sighed. "What did I say that sounded like 'Hello, Sain, would you provide a running commentary as I'm trying to get ready?'"

"You asked for a commentary when you asked Lady Lyndis for this mission," Sain replied, standing in the entrance of their shared tent.

Kent did his best to ignore his companion, and continued packing.

"Aren't you packing a little light?" Sain noted, looking over his friend's shoulder.

"It can take a day to ride down and another back," Kent said. "Or, if I pack light, it will only take half a day to get down, I can find Heath and Florina tonight, get us all an inn room, and set out the next day."

"A sound plan," Sain said, nodding his approval. "But you're only taking one day's rations."

"I'm also bringing extra money," Kent replied, holding up a bag weighed down with gold. "If it has to, this can buy us food and inn rooms to last a week, maybe more."

"Very good," Sain said. "You've prepared yourself well."

"Unlike _some_one I know, I try to do my best at these things."

Sain ignored the quip, and approached his companion, lowering his voice. "Listen, Kent... aren't you worried you'll be... well, a burden to Heath and Florina?"

Kent frowned. "A burden? Well, no. If my load is light enough, my horse could more or less match the airspeed of their mounts. It will be a strain on the poor creature, but..."

"You know what I mean," Sain prodded.

Kent sighed. "Sain, I _never_ know what you mean."

Sain hesitated a moment. "Well, Heath and Florina are alone together. Don't you think they might... be enjoying it?"

"Why would they..." It took Kent a moment to understand. He smirked a little. "Of course. I forgot this is you that I'm dealing with."

"Oh?"

Kent sighed. "In all seriousness, Sain, I doubt it. Florina's fear of men has kept her out of romance so far. Being alone with a man would only heighten that fear. And even if Heath felt something for her—which is doubtful, though certainly possible—he'd respect her enough not to act on it. Besides, we don't know if they are together, or alone, or what. That's why I'm going; to check on them and help them get back with the main group."

"I see," Sain nodded. "But... well, I must tell you something, Kent."

Kent arched an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"The other night, I had trouble sleeping, so I took a walk around the camp," Sain said, shifting nervously. "And I heard a scream coming from Florina's tent. When I got there, she told me she had had a nightmare. She was fighting wyvern riders, but none had a distinct face, except for one, which she recognized. That rider caused her to fall."

Kent shook his head slowly. "I... don't understand..."

"Neither do I," Sain sighed. "But there's only one wyvern rider I think Florina would recognize, and that's the one she's probably with now. And think about it; she must have fallen during battle. They both did."

Kent shook his head again. "Perhaps it does have some meaning," he sighed, "but perhaps it was just a coincidence. Either way, it changes nothing. I'm still going to try and find them." He took a breath. "...but maybe I'll be keeping an eye on what happens between the two as well," he said. "Just in case."

Sain smiled. "Thank you, Kent," he said. "That certainly puts my heart at ease. I was quite concerned about Lady Florina, but between you and Heath, I'm sure she'll be in good hands."

"Thank you," Kent replied. "Now, will you please leave me alone to prepare?"

Sain smiled and bowed out of the tent. Kent sighed. "He's a difficult one, but..." he shook his head and continued his packing.


	8. The Stables

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry this update is so short. I wrote a lot of stuff for chapter 8, but as it turned out, this section doesn't mesh well with most of the stuff that comes after it, so I had to separate it and give it its own chapter. This means chapter 9 will be relatively large, though, so you have that to look forward to. And I promise, it won't take me more than a few days to get ready.

Chapter 8 is a little fluffy, but I think it's the best description of Heath and Florina's feelings so far, definitely better than the awful chapter 6. Here's hoping you enjoy it.

* * *

Heath bit his lip as he examined Hyperion. The inn's stable stalls were made for horses, and as a result were much too small for a wyvern to comfortably fit in. The cramped conditions did nothing to help Hyperion's injured wing. Although he was in relatively good shape, his wing was still torn and useless, meaning he was grounded for the time being. And a wyvern's four lumbering legs could never keep up with a horse, or even a pegasus, on the ground.

At the moment, though, the only pegasus around wasn't faring much better. Huey had taken more of a beating than Hyperion, thanks in no small part to the Drakoons. Heath glanced down the stable to where Florina was caring for her mount, and grimaced at the sight. Huey's white fur and feathers were stained red in various areas. After having been shot down by Lloyd's ballista and assaulted by the bandit's ax, Huey had injuries all over his body. He could walk, but hardly any faster than Hyperion's clumsy gait. Flying was out of the question.

Heath patted Hyperion on the snout, then stood and went to where Florina sat. "Well?" he asked.

Florina jumped a little in surprise at his presence, and looked up at him. "Ah! Uh..." she shook her head. "It's no good. Even if I could treat his wounds, it'd take days before he'd be well enough to run, or fly..."

Heath glanced at Hyperion. "He's not much better," he said in a low voice. "His injury isn't hurting him much, but his wing is torn. It could take weeks before he could fly again..." He was distracted by soft whimpering noises from Florina. "Hey, are you crying?"

Florina shook her head. "No," she said, her voice shaking.

Heath sighed; even as she was shaking her head, he could see tears trickling down her face. He knelt by her, trying to get close enough to comfort her without being close enough to frighten her. "What's wrong?" he asked, trying to soften his voice.

Florina shifted her legs, clutching her knees in front of her. "I... It's nothing, I..."

Heath looked down. "I'm sure Huey will be fine, he just needs some time to rest..."

"It's not that..." Florina said, shaking her head again. "Well... it's not just that... I just..." She sniffed. "I don't want to be away from Lyn and Fiora any longer than I have to..."

Heath nodded. "I see. They... they keep you safe, don't they?"

Florina nodded in agreement.

"Safe from... from people like me, right?"

Florina looked up at him, he eyes widening. "No! Heath, I..." she looked away. "...I'm sorry, I didn't mean..."

"It's all right," Heath said, sitting down. "I know what you meant."

Florina closed her eyes. "I'm... I'm so sorry, Heath..."

Heath looked at her, sadness and sympathy mingling in his gaze. He was filled with the strangest feeling whenever he was near her. He was alone with a young girl, who feared him almost as much as she feared the enemy, and all he could think to do was to put his arm around her and assure her that it would be all right—which, in a cruel twist of irony, would make her more afraid of him than if he suddenly pointed a lance at her throat.

He stood up, tensing his muscles, doing all he could to look like the soldier he knew he was. "Florina," he said, keeping a cool, determined tone in his voice, "I... I will get you back to them. You'll be back with Fiora and Lyn before you know it, and until then... you'll be safe with me. I swear it."

Florina looked at him. She knew that he was a knight, and that he had made pledges like this all the time when in the service of Bern. But she also sensed that he meant what he said in a more unique way. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but something in Heath's voice told her that he was being honest, and that he would do everything he could to fulfill his promise.

She didn't know whether or not to believe it, but she knew at least that it was there to believe.

"All right," she replied at last, her gaze and voice softening.

"Good," Heath said, letting himself relax and smile. "Well, let's start by fixing up Huey and Hyperion."

Florina stood up. "If... if there's a church nearby... the clergy there might help..."

Heath nodded. "Good idea. Healing magic would be faster and more effective then waiting for them to recover on their own." He started toward the door. "I'll look around town and see if I can find anything," he said. "I should be back in a few minutes."

Florina nodded, and watched Heath as she left. She looked back at Huey, putting her hand on the pegasus's muzzle. "You hear that, boy? Heath is going find a place to get you healed." She gave her mount an affectionate rub. "Don't worry, Huey. He'll take care of you. He'll take care of us both."


	9. Mountain Duel

**Author's Note:** So, apparently, when I said "a few days" in my last update, I meant "several months." Sorry about that.

* * *

Kent allowed his horse to slow down as he entered the mountain pass; after all, the poor beast hadn't had a break since they left Hector's camp early that morning, before most of the troop was even awake. The sun was beginning to sink now; Kent estimated it was four, maybe five in the evening. Still, he was almost there. Even at a relaxed pace, he would arrive at the village in half an hour, and could spend the rest of the day searching for Heath and Florina.

He leaned down and patted his horse, encouraging it softly to keep going. Inside, he felt a small sense of urgency, especially given how many things could go wrong on this journey. Heath and Florina might be in too poor condition to travel. And that was assuming Kent could find them in the village; they might have gotten separated, missed the village altogether, or perhaps even died up on the mountains. The morale of the entire troop—not to mention Lady Lyndis and Dame Fiora—was hinging on his success, and if he had to come back and tell the others that Heath and Florina were dead...

He gave his horse another pat. Despite the sense of urgency, he somehow felt confident that he would be able to find them. He had become a good friend of Heath's in the short time since the wyvern rider joined them, and he had known Florina for well over a year. He knew they were both capable fighters, and would take good care of each other if they were together—and would waste no time searching for each other if they weren't. _Florina may be shy around men,_ he thought, _but she can overcome that when she has to._ He allowed himself a smirk. _Perhaps what Sain said was true; maybe they actually are enjoying-_

A small noise was all the warning Kent had, but it was all he needed. The sound of a pebble rolling down the side of the ravine alerted him to the man's presence. He instinctively sped up his horse, and the man leaped from his hiding place a moment too late, missing Kent by a hair's breadth. But the attacker took only a moment to recover from his failed lunge, and was soon sprinting after the knight at amazing speed.

A quick glance over his shoulder told Kent that he would be able to escape—fast though the man was, he wouldn't be able to keep up with the horse for long—but to do so would require a huge effort on the part of his horse, and open his back up to attacks from the deadly throwing ax the man carried in addition to the sword he held in his hands. Still, he had to risk it. This man was muscular, heavily armored, and had an intense flame in his eyes that told Kent this would not end quickly. The knight spurred his horse forward, dashing toward the end of the ravine. The horse put nearly all its strength into the sprint, but it was working; they were quickly drawing out of range.

But it wasn't quick enough. As his quarry dashed away, the man grabbed his tomahawk and threw it with all the force he could muster. The ax hit neither Kent nor his steed, but it managed to embed itself in the ground directly in the horse's path—right where it would trip on it. Before Kent realized what was happening, he was on the ground, rolling away from the sliding mass of horse coming toward him. The man let out a triumphant cry as he ran forward, ignoring the ax that had tripped the horse in favor of the sword already in his hand.

Kent barely had time to right himself and bring up his own weapon before his antagonist's blade sliced down at him. Steel rang on steel as Kent blocked the blow. He found himself using all his strength in both his arms to hold the sword away from his head as the man leaned heavily on his weapon, using his weight to drive the sharp edge down. Kent lifted his eyes and found himself looking into the fiery gaze of a tall, red-headed man. The antagonist met Kent's look, and sneered at him. "My brother!" he spat. "My own flesh and blood! You impudent-!"

Kent didn't understand what the man was saying, and for the moment, he couldn't afford to care. He shut his eyes, channeling all his strength into his arms, and with a loud cry and superhuman effort, shoved his sword upward. The man lost his balance and toppled backward; Kent quickly stood, wielding his sword in preparation for another attack.

It only took the man an instant to regain his footing; he soon stood with his mighty broadsword, glaring at Kent with the same passionate hatred. "I will avenge my brother," he said, "If it means hunting down each member of your army one by one! And I promise, I'll start with you!"

It took Kent a moment to realize what this man was saying. His brother had been killed by Hector's group, and the man had recognized Kent as a member of that army, probably by the armor he wore. But Kent still didn't know who the man was. When he finally figured it out, his eyes widened in fear.

_His brother? Could he mean Lloyd?_

_That means he's..._

Linus of the Four Fangs didn't give Kent time to finish his thought; the mighty assassin charged again, his broadsword forming a deadly arc through the air. Kent leaped to one side, letting the behemoth of a man go right past him. The knight gave his sword a clumsy swing as he dodged, but missed his foe completely. Kent quickly spun around to try again, but the assassin was already charging him again. Despite his muscular build, he was fast. Almost too fast, considering how much power he was packing into each blow as well; it was incredible, almost superhuman.

_Anger_, he thought to himself. _He's being spurred on by grief at his brother's death._

Kent had taken no part in the killing of Lloyd, not that Linus would care even if he knew. The knight could barely remember it now; what stood out most about that battle was the realization that Heath and Florina could not be found afterwards. Who had taken Lloyd down, anyway? Now that Kent thought of it, it must have been...

The sound of an blade rushing through the air put an end to the wanderings of Kent's mind. He barely managed to sidestep again. This time, though, Linus had expected it, and redirected his sword in mid-charge, aiming at where he expected the knight to be. Kent did his best to compensate, but a sudden, shooting pain in his right arm informed him that he hadn't quite avoided the strike. He didn't even have to look at the gash to know it was bleeding. If he could patch it up, then it wouldn't be a problem, but he didn't expect Linus to wait there while he began treating his wound.

Linus rushed forward again, swinging his sword in a wide arc in front of him. Kent knew he wouldn't be able to dodge; instead, he raised his sword to parry the blow. The force of the two blades meeting sent a shuddering force through Kent's body, and he was pushed back a few feet, dirt building up against the heels of his boots as they dug into the ground—but he held firm. The two blades were once again locked together, the antagonists glaring at each other over them. This time, though, Linus didn't have the advantage of being on top, and Kent was planing to make it so that he'd need every advantage he could get.

Before Linus knew what was going on, Kent had slipped his blade out of the lock and spun deftly to one side; the assassin stumbled forward, no longer having his antagonist to lean against. Kent followed through with a nimble strike to his opponent's back. It bounced off of Linus's armor, but gave such a loud clang and satisfying impact that it sent Linus to the ground. But the assassin didn't remain prone for long, deftly rolling through his fall and landing neatly on his feet. No sooner did he turn, though, than he had to bring up his blade to block another strike. Kent came after him again, steel ringing on steel. Linus's boots dug into the stony earth and he held his ground, but he never got a chance to attack himself, he was so busy parrying Kent's strikes.

The knight knew this was his only advantage: his speed. He had to keep the assassin on his toes, trying to guess where the next blow would come from. If Linus got a chance to attack, at these close quarters he could easily slay Kent in a single blow. The only way Kent could survive now was to ensure he never got that chance.

Then—

Kent wasn't sure of exactly what happened. He had struck once more, but when the blades met there was extra power in his opponent's arm, and Kent's whole body shuddered under the force, slightly stunned by the power of the impact. Before he could recover, he felt something against his chest—the sole of Linus's boot? He would never be sure—and we was suddenly on the ground. He tried to scramble to his feet, but Linus was already on top of him, planting his foot on the knight's chest, shoving him back down and knocking what little breath there was out of him. Kent could only look up at Linus as the assassin lifted his blade in the air, the evening sun silhouetting his face and rendering his triumphant leer invisible.

In the next instant, an earth-shattering cry split the air. Linus quickly spun around, looking for the source, and barely had time to realize that there was a man bounding down the side of the pass toward him at impossible speed before he had to lift his blade to parry the man's colossal ax.

Kent had recovered by now, and though he was as confused as Linus about the newcomer, he was still clear-minded enough to seize advantage of the situation and roll away from the two powerhouses. The newcomer was as big as Linus, possibly bigger. His clothes—the rugged garb of a mountain-dweller—barely fit his sinewy frame, and though his ax was unbelievably large, he hefted it with ease. Nevertheless, he could only just hold his own against the highly trained, grief-driven, and now desperate Linus—which was why Kent ran back into battle as soon as he was on his feet.

Linus dove for his neglected tomahawk when he saw Kent returning, so that at least he'd have two weapons to fight two foes. But for all the good it did, he might as well not have bothered. He was on the defensive again, too busy parrying strikes to make an attack of his own, only this time, he had two blades swinging closer and closer to him, and only one arm to defend against each. Kent and the mysterious newcomer slowly drove him further and further back, pressing him toward the side of the ravine, until, at last, he was trapped. Kent lifted his blade to deliver one last blow.

Then there was a loud noise, a tremble in the ground, and Kent could see nothing but dust.

He worked his way out of the cloud, feeling with his injured right arm and choking on the dust until his vision cleared. He turned around to see the mountaineer emerging from the cloud in a similar fashion, his eyes tearing up as the dust stung them. The dust had settled back down in a moment, but when it did, there was no sign of Linus.

Before Kent could say anything, the newcomer shook his head. "Don't bother lookin' for him. He'll be long gone by now."

Kent nodded somberly. "So strange," he said. "He attacked me in full fighting fury, driven by grief and anger over his brother's death. But when we put him on the defensive for so long, when he realized there was a chance he could lose..." he cast his eyes down. "I suppose there's nothing better than mortal danger for helping to clear one's mind."

The mountaineer studied the knight for a moment. "Was... was that who I think it was?"

Kent looked back at him. "If you mean Linus," he replied, "Then yes. It was he."

The man shivered. "Then... his brother is really...?"

Kent only nodded.

The man put a hand to his head. "My God... then that means... wow..."

Kent pursed his lips. "You'll forgive my asking," he said curtly, "But who are you, and why did you help me?"

"Ah!" the man said, looking back at him. "Sorry. My name's Romul. I was just out for a walk when I heard the sounds of battle, and when I came to investigate and saw Linus above you about to chop your head off, well... what was I supposed to do?"

Kent relaxed slightly. "Nothing other than what you did," he said, "For which I am grateful."

The mountaineer smiled. "That be good to hear, sir," he said. "Romul's always happy to help out. I assume from the direction you came from that you be headin' toward the village to the south, right?"

"Indeed," Kent answered promptly.

"Well then," the man said, "I think it be best that we travel together. This mountain pass ain't always the safest place, even for a knight of..." he studied Kent's emblem for a moment. "Caelin?"

Kent nodded, somewhat surprised with the man's familiarity with the house's symbol.

"Besides," the mountaineer went on, "I just happen to be headin' that way myself. What do you think, sir...?"

"Kent," the knight answered. "And I see no reason why not. It is good to make your acquaintance, Romul."

Romul's smile broadened. "Likewise, sir Kent! Give me a moment to gather my things, and I'll be right with you."

Before Kent could say anything, the man had disappeared around some rocks. He sighed and leaned against his horse. Romul seemed nice enough, but there was something about him that Kent didn't trust. Having the mountaineer by his side would be reassuring when completing the journey, especially after the attack from Linus had drained so much of his energy, but he decided to keep his guard up, especially where the newcomer was involved.

"Romul!" a voice hissed. "Over here!"

Romul slipped over to where his friend hid. "Rem?" he whispered.

"Yeah."

"What'd the boss say?"

"He commends you for handlin' Linus so well, but also demands that next time, you find him first and tell him what you're up to."

"We tried! We looked all over the bloody fortress for him. We were runnin' out of time; I had to do somethin'! You know that!"

"Of course I do!" Rem hissed. "But the boss don't. I tried tellin' him, but he won't listen."

Romul sighed. "Fine," he whispered. "What else did he say?"

"Continue with the knight," Rem said. "Make sure he gets safely to the village. Once you're there, be careful, because if he meets up with the two riders, they're bound to recognize you. You'd best get out of there before that happens."

"I'll try," Romul replied. He hesitated a moment before asking, "Hey, Rem?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did he save Linus?"

"Why does he do anythin'?" Rem answered. He shook his head. "He said it wasn't time yet, or somethin'. How the bloody hell should I know, anyway?"

Romul sighed. "Sorry. I just hoped that, for once, he'd let us know what's goin' on."

"That'll be the day," Rem replied. "Good luck, Romul."

"Thanks," Romul said. "Tell the master that I won't let him down."

"I hope not," Rem replied, before slipping back into one of the Drakoon Fortress's many hidden entrances.

Romul took a deep breath before turning around and going back to the pass where Kent was waiting. Kent peered closely at the approaching mountaineer; as far as he could tell, he hadn't "gathered" any more things than he had when he left. Still, he hid his suspicions; he didn't want a man of that size and strength to know that he didn't trust him. "All set?" he called. "I hope to get into the village before long."

"I won't hold you up too much, sir," Romul replied, smiling broadly. "I can move through these passes as fast as anyone. We're not that far away, either. We ought to be there within the hour."

"Excellent," Kent said, returning the man's smile as he mounted his horse and started once again toward the south, his mysterious new companion leading the way.


	10. Light of Healing

It only took a few minutes for Heath to find a church, return to the inn, and lead Florina, Huey, and Hyperion there. Florina stayed with the mounts as Heath went in. And old but friendly priest was there to greet him as he entered. "Good day, and welcome," he said. "May I help you?"

"Good day," Heath replied. "We're in need of a healer."

The priest nodded, looking down at Heath's splinted leg. "I see. If you'd let me examine–"

"Oh no, not me," Heath said, raising his arms. "Our mounts were injured yesterday, and we need to heal them if we're going to ride anywhere."

The priest thought for a moment. "Hm. It's unusual for us to tend to animals, but it can be done. Where are they?"

Heath led the man outside. His eyes widened upon seeing the two mounts. "A pegasus? ...and a wyvern?" He took a step closer, studying the two animals. "Their injuries are heavy," he decided. "This will take some time."

"Please," Florina said. "We'll wait, however long it takes."

The priest nodded, looked at Heath, and pursed his lips. "I'm afraid it will also take quite a bit of... ah..."

"We can pay," the wyvern rider assured him. "Don't worry."

The priest let out a sigh of relief. "I don't mean to seem greedy," he said apologetically. "The church simply needs all the revenue it can get, and healing is one of our best skills."

"We understand," Florina said.

"Just do whatever it takes to get them in good health," Heath said. "We'll take care of the rest."

The priest nodded, smiling. "If you don't mind, I'd rather not bring them into the sanctuary," he said. "Wait here, I'll go get my staff."

As the priest went back into the building, Heath and Florina sat on a bench next to the church entrance. Heath was sure to leave Florina plenty of room, but she did sit a little closer to him than he had expected. "Shouldn't be long now," he said. "We'll be back in the air before you know it."

Florina smiled. "Thank you, Heath."

"Pff, what for?" Heath looked up at the early evening sky. "All I've done is slow you down with this blasted leg of mine."

Florina looked over at him. "You promised you'd get me back, and now you're going to do that. That's all that matters."

Heath smiled, but shook his head. "You could have easily done all this without me."

"Maybe," she said. "But... for what it's worth..." she had trouble finding the words. "I-I'm glad I didn't have to face this alone."

Heath hesitated, then reached out and patted her on the hand. He instantly regretted the decision as she drew away, but she still smiled at him. "You're welcome, then," he said.

The man emerged from the building with a healing staff, knelt down by Huey, and shut his eyes in concentration as he began to chant. A soft light encompassed the head of the staff and the pegasus, and Huey's numerous wounds began to slowly close.

"...you know," Florina ventured hesitantly, "You are wrong about one thing."

"What's that?" Heath asked, turning to look at her again.

"I couldn't have done this without you," she said. "Oh, I'd have gotten Huey back on his feet—eventually—and I'd get back to the others. But Heath, without you..." she bit her lip. "Without you to catch me, Heath, I-I never would have survived the... the fall."

Heath saw that she was fighting back tears. "Florina..."

"I'm sorry," she said, trying to turn away. "I'm just... I love flying, but I'm so afraid of falling. I know Huey would never let that happen if he could help it, but he couldn't this time, and..." She sniffed.

Heath hesitated. What was he supposed to do? If he tried to comfort her, she would draw away again. It was just like in the stables. He supposed the best he could do was lend an ear, and hope that she would accept it. "You want to talk about it?"

"About what?"

"Why you're so afraid of falling," he said. "I've seen you in the air, you know. You're an excellent flier; you needn't worry about your skill failing you."

Florina couldn't help but smile. Heath was the third person to tell her that in as many days.

"I know," she said, "but you can never account for everything. If I'm such a great flier, why did I fall yesterday?"

"Because there was an enormous ballistia bolt in Huey's side?"

Florina laughed, but only a little. "I could have dodged it, you know," she said. "If I wasn't so..."

"So... what?" Heath prompted.

Florina hesitated. "Heath, when I saw you fall, I... I was absolutely terrified. I know I don't know you very well, even though we've been flying together since you joined us, but to see you just... plummet like that..."

"There were extenuating circumstances," Heath muttered, turning away. "That's the last time I let someone else on my wyvern." He left out the fact that he wasn't actually riding his wyvern at the time.

"And then, to see you had survived..." Florina shut her eyes. "And you were there, waiting to catch me..." She shook her head. "Heath, I-I owe you so much..."

"Come on, now," the wyvern rider said, seeing tears well up in her eyes. "There's no need to cry. We're both alive and well, and we're going to catch up to the others soon. That's what you want, right? You can be with Lyn and your sister again." He was tempted to touch her hand again, but resisted.

Florina opened her eyes once more. "Okay," she said. "I'm n-not going to cry."

Her eyes told Heath something different, but he decided it was better to support her than to point that out. "So you see? You didn't need to worry about falling after all. I was there to catch you."

Floria looked down. "Y-yes, but..." she shook her head. "Heath, I need to tell you... I've been having this dream. I'm fighting an army of..." she hesitated. "of wyvern riders. A-and I always defeat them, one after another... until one comes, and I... I recognize him, Heath."

Heath furrowed his brow. "Who is it?"

"I don't _know_," she sighed. "I recognize him in the dream, but when I wake up, it all slips away... but every time I see him, I'm so surprised that I... I slip out of the saddle. And I fall, and right b-before I hit the ground..."

"You wake up," Heath concluded.

Florina nodded.

Heath looked off into the distance. "Huh," he said softly. "That's strange."

"What?"

Heath shrugged. "Well, it's just that I've been having a weird dream, too," he said. "One I can't seem to get rid of. I'm fighting a bunch of enemy swordsmen. They all come to Hyperion and I on foot, but I'm able to skewer them before they can do anything. Hyperion merely sits there and turns in the direction I tell him too. Then, I hear something else. I look up, and I see a pegasus knight diving at me, her lance aimed right at my skull. I spur Hyperion up, to try and engage her, but as soon as we get in the air, something jerks us back down. I look down, and suddenly see that we're chained to the ground. I try to get off, draw the knight away from Hyperion and fight her on foot, but I'm chained to him as well. So I look up, and watch her as she dives towards me." He paused. "And then _I_ wake up."

Florina only stared at him. "Are you... you're telling the truth?"

Heath nodded. "Strange, isn't it? You have a dream where you fall. I have a dream where I can't even get off the ground."

Florina looked forward, trying to wrap her mind around all that was happening. The priest was finished with Huey at last, and had moved on to Hyperion. The wyvern looked slightly annoyed at the soft light enveloping him, but was more than willing to put up with it once his wing started healing.

"Do..." Florina swallowed. "Do you th-think they mean anything?"

"You mean the dreams?" Heath shrugged. "Well, maybe. I guess you just don't like the idea of falling, and I don't like the idea of being grounded." He looked over at her, and she saw that he had an easygoing smile on his face. "Sounds to me like we should stay in the air."

Florina nodded, but she didn't return his smile.

"Hey, is something wrong?" Heath said, furrowing his brow at her.

"N-no," she said quickly. "Nothing. I-I just... I'm just thinking, that's all."

Heath frowned. She hadn't stuttered like that in a while. "Did I say something to upset you?"

She shook her head. Now he _knew_ something was wrong; she wasn't even speaking to him. "Florina, you shouldn't worry about the dream."

"B-but what if it's a sign?" Florina asked softly. "What if I really am going to fall?"

Heath thought for a moment. "...did you have the dream last night?"

Florina paused, then shook her head. "No, I didn't. I guess I was so tired, and so worried about... about you..."

"Then I'd say, if the dream was a sign, it's already come true," Heath said. "You fell. And wouldn't you know it? I was there to catch you."

"But what if that wasn't the plummet the dream was warning me about?" Florina insisted. "What if I fall, and... and you're _not _there?"

"That's an awful lot of 'what ifs,' Florina," Heath said. He leaned a little closer, getting as near as he dared without scaring her. "But someone will always be there to catch you. I'm bringing you back to Lyn for that reason, remember?" Before she could protest, he went on. "And whenever she isn't there to catch you... I will be. I promise."

Florina looked at him, surprised. "You... promise?"

"Hey, I did it before, I can do it again, right?" He smiled at her. "You said I was keeping my promise to get you back to Lyn and Fiora, right? Well, I'm going to keep this one too. As long as I'm around, if you ever fall, I'll catch you."

Florina was blinking back tears again. "Heath... I..."

"Come on," he said, softening his voice. "You told me you weren't going to cry."

She wiped her eyes just as the priest approached them. "It's done," he said. "Your mounts are ready to go." He looked at Florina, still fighting back her tears. "Er... are you all right?"

"Actually..." she sniffed, giving her voice time to stop quavering. "Actually, can you look at his leg? I'd feel much better if you could fix it, rather than just leave it splinted."

"Florina, I told you, I'm fine!" Heath protested.

The priest looked at her. "Hm. I hate to sound callous, but I must ask... how much gold do you have?"

Florina opened her bag, and showed him. The priest smiled kindly. "Ah, that should be enough. Now, if you'd kindly hold still, young man, this will only take a moment." He raised his staff again. Desptite his protestations, Heath sat still long enough for the staff's glow to encompass his leg. He gritted his teeth against slight pain as his bones put themselves back in place, but soon all was well again. He stood up tentatively, and then walked around a bit, without a limp. He looked over at the priest. "OK, that's... that's better. Thanks."

Florina paid the priest for all the healing they had done. "Thank you," she said.

"May Elimine's blessings be with you," the priest replied, smiling. He went back inside.

Florina turned to Heath. "Well?"

"I think we have enough supplies that we don't need to restock here," Heath said. "So we can get going anytime." He looked up at the sky. It hadn't started to darken yet, but the sun was beginning to sink. "On the other hand, it is fairly late in the day. If we set out now, we'd likely have to camp before we could make it back to the others."

Florina hesitated. "Do you really think it'll be that easy to find them?" she asked.

Heath smiled. "Well, I'll admit they may have gotten some distance on us by now, but an army isn't exactly the easiest thing to hide, especially one as motley as our bunch. All we need to do is follow the reports of the most mismatched troop ever, and we'll make our way back."

"A sound theory," a new but familiar voice came. "I was able to find you by following reports of the only pegasus and wyvern traveling together on the entire continent, after all."

They both spun around to face the speaker. "Kent!" Heath cried, smiling broadly. "It's good to see you!"

"Kent!" Florina rushed forward and threw her arms around the knight. "Oh, Kent, how did you find us?"

"As I said, you don't exactly make for an inconspicuous combination," Kent said, returning her embrace. "After I returned to the battlefield, I went to the nearest village, and lo and behold, here you are!" He moved away from Florina, holding her at arm's length. "You're all right? Both of you?"

"We are now," Florina said, happily. "Hyperion and Huey were more injured than either of us. We just finished having them healed when you showed up."

Kent looked over at Heath. "Does that mean you're ready to go?"

"Ready and willing," Heath said, approaching with a broad smile on his face. "The sooner we get back with the others, the better." He extended his hand. "You really rode all this way to find us?"

Kent accepted Heath's hand and shook it heartily. "We've missed you."

"I'm gone one day, and already you miss me?"

"You and Florina," the knight laughed, stepping back. "Well, it's good that you're ready to go, but I'm afraid I need a little time to recuperate. It's been quite a day, and I don't think my horse is up to much more riding today—certainly not at the same speed as your mounts."

"That's fine," Florina said. "Although I'm afraid we're out of gold..."

"We'll go a little ways, then, before resting," Kent said. "I think we can make it past the mountains before night falls. I'd much rather pass through them in daylight."

"I agree," Heath said. "We encountered some bandits up in the mountains yesterday, and I'd rather not have to deal with that again."

"Hmm. Sounds like we'll have to swap stories later." Kent looked around at them. "Well, if you're all set, we can get going. We'll find a place to camp north of the mountains, then catch up to the group tomorrow. The sooner we get going, the better. I met a man in the mountains who helped guide me here, and promised to guide us back. He's waiting outside the village."

"Well, what are we waiting for, then?" Florina asked happily. "Let's go!"

The three of them climbed aboard their mounts and set out slowly for the town gate.

Despite the happiness of seeing Kent again, Florina still couldn't get the conversation she had with Heath out of her head. His dream was eerily similar to hers, and even if hers had been a prophecy which was now fulfilled, she couldn't imagine what his meant. Plus, there was the fact that she fell in her dream because of a wyvern rider, and he was attacked in his by a pegasus knight. She forced herself to ignore the obvious answer to who those were. Heath had brought her this far; he wouldn't hurt her, for any reason.

With a bit of a start, she realized that she meant that. Everything he had said to her that day, about bringing her back safely and about catching her when she fell, he meant it. And she believed him—not only that he wished to keep those promises, but that he could keep him. For some reason, she was feeling safer and safer around him, even though he still scared her as much as any man.

As they rode onwards, she decided that if Heath would keep his promises, she would have to return the favor. If his dream ever came true—if he ever found himself grounded and unable to move as death plummeted towards him—she would be there at his side, fighting to defend him.


	11. Breather

"He told me he'd wait at the edge of town once he had conducted his own business," Kent explained. "I don't think he feels very comfortable in civilized areas."

"We used to run into mountain men like these sometimes when I was with the army," Heath said. "A strange bunch, to be sure, but reliable."

"Then..." Florina looked around. "Where is he?"

They all peered at the people around them, not spotting anyone matching the description Kent had given them. It was starting to get late, and they were anxious to go, but agreed that they should wait for Kent's guide—Romul, he said his name was—to return and lead them through the pass. Their encounters with Linus and the Drakoon bandits had taught them to be wary in those mountains.

"Romul?" the knight called. "Romul, where are you?"

"Right here," the response came.

All three gave a start and whirled around to see a very large man wearing a traveling cloak over his mountaineer's garb. The hood was drawn up around his head, so the only view they got of his face was obscured by shadow.

"You... bought a cloak?" Kent asked.

"It was on sale," the man muttered, shrugging.

Kent studied him a moment longer. "I see," he said. "Romul, this is Heath and Florina. We got lucky; they were about to leave when I found them."

Romul bowed to them. "It's good t' know you're alive," he said. "Sir Kent spoke of you quite a bit."

Heath bowed back. "Thank you for helping him," he replied. "From what he told us, it seems as though you saved his life."

The mountaineer nodded at him before looking back at Kent. "Well, I'm ready to go when you are. Night's comin', and the quicker we move, the better."

"Agreed." Kent climbed atop his horse; Florina and Heath also saddled their mounts. "Let's go."

They set off, but before Heath could take to the air, he saw Kent motioning to him. He guided Hyperion over, and they lumbered alongside the more nimble horse. "I didn't want to say this before," Kent said in a low voice, "Because I didn't want to worry Florina. But there's something about Romul that seems... strange to me."

"What do you mean?" Heath said.

"I'm not sure. But I'd like you to keep an eye on him. I think he'll guide us through the pass, just like he says, but if something goes wrong, I think we'd best be able to depend on ourselves."

Heath nodded. "I will." He took to the air before anyone noticed how long he was tarrying.

They set off at a trot, Huey and Hyperion flying at a speed their earthbound companions could keep up with. Heath was surprised at Romul's ability to move so quickly; he could easily keep up with Kent's horse, albeit at a fairly low speed. He hoped the man would have the stamina to reach and cross the mountain pass before he needed to rest.

At their rate, they reached the pass shortly. Heath and Florina rose higher into the air to keep an eye out for anyone attempting to ambush their two companions. They did this automatically, without any planning or commands. When Heath realized this, he looked over at the pegasus knight and smiled. "Feels good to be in the air again, doesn't it?"

When Florina looked back at him, her face was bold and smiling brightly, the fear and timidity gone. "Yes," she said. "You're right, Heath; this is where we belong."

The sight of her so happy brought Heath a warm feeling he hadn't felt in a very long time. In fact, being here with her brought back memories of a happier time. Days before the nation he had served so faithfully turned on him and his companions, before he fled the place he had lived all his live, before he fell in with a troop of unfeeling mercenaries. In a way, surrendering himself to Lord Eliwood had been the best to happen to him since he left Bern. Now here he was, among new friends, flying alongside trusted companions into battle. The only difference was the beasts his companions rode.

In a few minutes, they had made it through the pass without incident. Heath was a little surprised; their luck had been so rotten lately, he was half expecting the mountains themselves to rise up and attack them. But it seemed for once, fate had smiled on them, and they made it through in one piece. Heath and Florina circled down to meet Kent and Romul at the end of the pass to say their goodbyes to their guide.

"You'll be able to find your way back from here?" the mountaineer was asking as they landed.

"Our friends told me where they'd be before we left," Kent responded. "Even if they're not there now, we'll be able to track them easily enough."

"Well, then," Romul said, looking around, "I guess I'll head back up. You take care of yourselves. You may be out of the pass, but that don't mean you're out of danger just yet."

"We know," Heath sighed. "Bern can be... treacherous. But we can handle ourselves. Thank you."

Romul only responded with a nod before turning and heading up the side of the mountain. He was soon lost to their sight.

The three of them set out again after a short rest. Heath once more pulled Hyperion alongside Kent's mount. "Well, it looks like we got through all right," he said softly.

"Yes," Kent nodded, pursing his lips. "I guess I didn't give our companion enough credit."

"I don't know," Heath muttered, looking up the mountain after their guide. "Something about him did seem..."

"Strange?"

"Familiar."

Kent looked up the mountain as well, then shrugged. "Well, perhaps we'll meet him again someday, and we can solve his mystery then. But for now, I think I should concentrate on getting you two back." He frowned. "Morale did take a dive when we lost you. This was the first time someone we all knew, someone we all fought alongside of, had fallen in combat. I'm thankful I was able to find you alive."

"Not as thankful as we are, believe me," Heath responded, laughing. "We'd have had plenty of trouble finding you if you hadn't found us first. And those bandits..." he shook his head. "I'm still not entirely sure why they stopped attacking us when they did. They just vanished into... the mountainside..." He trailed off, and his gaze went back to the spot where he had last seen Romul.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," Heath replied, shaking his head. "Just thinking, is all." He paused, then decided it was time to change the subject. "Hey, Kent... there was something I wanted to ask you about..."

Kent turned to him. "Yes?"

Heath hesitated for a long time before continuing. "You... uh... you got to know Florina pretty well at Castle Caelin, right?"

"Yes," Kent said. "We met her while traveling with Lyn over a year ago, and she joined the knighthood along with Wil after we reclaimed Caelin from Lundgren. We all bonded as a result of those journeys, and in the year afterwards."

"I see," Heath said, looking down.

"Why do you ask?"

"Well, I know how timid she can be around men... but when you showed up, she just threw her arms around you like you were her brother."

Kent paused. "Well, in a way... I suppose I am," he said. "She's grown comfortable with Sain, Wil, and I over time... I suppose we are something like brothers to her." He studied the wyvern rider. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Heath responded too quickly. "I just... she seems like a nice enough girl, and... it'd be nice if she'd... open up more, y'know?" He hesitated. "Being stranded with her was... awkward. I felt like I couldn't so much as move without frightening her. And when you came along, I..." he cleared his throat. "It's good to know there are some men she trusts, is all. Maybe next time, you can get stranded with her. She'd probably be more comfortable that way."

Kent arched an eyebrow. "Huh. I never thought I'd say this, but Sain may have been right."

"Eh? About what?"

"Nothing," Kent said, "I'm just letting my mind wander. Anyway, you may be right about Florina, but you did a commendable job of taking care of her."

Heath looked away, turning a little red as he spoke. "In all honesty, she did more for me. I probably wouldn't be able to move now if she hadn't taken care of my leg."

Kent smiled. "I'm sure Lord Eliwood will be glad to hear that the wyvern rider he recruited needs a pegasus knight to take care of him." He laughed at Heath's resulting expression. "But I mean it. You did well out here, both of you."

"Thanks," Heath said, allowing himself to smile. "I'd better take off now. See you once we get to camp."

"Of course," Kent said. "Take care up there. I don't need you two falling again."

"Don't worry," Heath sighed. "We've had enough of falling for one lifetime."

* * *

Romul brought himself before the Drakoon master without waiting to be summoned. The man studied him as he paced about his quarters. "You didn't leave before he met with the pegasus and wyvern knights."

Romul gulped. "I... I decided it would be more... convinin' if I..."

The master sighed, rolling his eyes. "Calm yourself, Romul. You made a good decision; I am not here to admonish you."

Romul slowly relaxed, just a hair. "...really?"

"They didn't recognize you, you said?"

"No," Romul said, holding up his new cloak. "I bought this from a vendor to help hide my face, just in case they did. It was a good deal, too. Can you believe, a genuine..."

"_Focus_, Romul," the master said intently.

"Yes, sir," the bandit replied, letting the cloak drop to the floor.

The master turned to the window. He could just make out the two dots in the sky and one on the ground from this distance; soon, they would be gone. "They're leaving," he muttered.

"What do you plan to do?"

"Nothing, just yet," the master sighed. "If what our spies tell me about the Black Fang is true, they're going to have their hands full for some time." He looked back at his underling. "But now their most recent memory of you is as a guide, and as long as you keep your face partially hidden, they should recognize you as a friend before they recognize you as an enemy. I might be able to use this to our advantage."

"But not yet."

"No. I need time to... refine my plan. Much has happened of late. I need to consider the new information, and figure out our next move." He turned away again. "You've earned a rest, Romul. Go take it while you can. I'll give you your orders as soon as I have need of you again."

The bandit obediently bowed, and left his master to his thoughts.

* * *

The sun had already crept under the horizon, and the sky was now darkening rapidly. Kent looked around, then signaled to the two fliers. Once they had circled down and landed, he dismounted. "We'd best make camp here. It's getting too dark to travel, and we could use the break."

Heath stretched. "All right. I'll take first watch."

"You sure?" Kent said. "It's been a long day for you."

"But even longer for you," Heath said. "You're the one who had to fight off one of the Four Fangs, remember?"

"I wish I could forget," Kent sighed. "If you're sure. Wake me up once it's my turn."

They soon had their camp set up. Kent went to gather some wood for a fire, leaving Heath and Florina alone.

"It's strange, isn't it?" Heath heard the pegasus knight say. He looked over at her; she was lying on her back, looking at the stars as they appeared in the darkening sky. "It's only been... what, two days since we fell? But it feels like so much longer..."

Heath nodded. "It does, doesn't it? I guess a lot has happened in a short time."

"Yeah," Florina sighed. "I'm glad it's almost over."

Heath glanced at her, but didn't say anything for a while. He sat down, laying his lance by Hyperion, who was already letting deep, soft snores emanate from his body. "You should get some sleep," he said. "It has been a rough couple of days."

She hesitated, looking as if she might say something else, then acquiesced. "All right." She lay down, pulling her blanket over her body and turning away."Good night, Heath," she called to him.

"Good night," he echoed. He watched her as she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. She was such a strange girl; she drew away if he so much as touched her, yet she was willing to throw her arms around Kent upon seeing him. Even after everything that had happened between them, she still didn't trust him. Of course, Kent had nearly a year up on him; perhaps she only needed time. Heath had only been flying alongside her and her sister for a few weeks. And the fact that she treated Kent like a big brother meant that she _could _open up to men, eventually.

He let out a sigh. Florina might have been be shy, and he might have respected her reluctance to grow close to him, but although this foray had been short, it had started something between them. He just hoped she didn't meet the same fate of the last few people to fly alongside him.

Kent soon returned, helped Heath light a fire, and went to sleep himself. Heath stared into the flames, hoping they would drive away the bloody images of his past.


	12. Regroup

"Ah, Dame Fiora! How wonderful to see you again!"

_Elimine preserve me,_ Fiora thought as she looked about frantically for a way to escape. Finding none, she let out a breath, and turned to the speaker. "Hello, Sain."

"Hello! Ah, she does grace me with a greeting!" Sain's gestures were as wild and flourishing as his speech. "And here I had feared that grief for her sister Florina had stolen her sharp tongue away from me!"

Fiora lowered her eyes. "Sain, I don't want to..."

"And, in fact, it appears she is so stricken by grief, she doesn't wish to speak of it?"

"That is what I was about to say before you interrupted, yes."

"Indeed! You see, Dame Fiora, we are so in tune we are able to finish each other's thoughts! Ah, but I digress. Surely, your grief at missing one sister is abated by the joy of reunion with another?"

"Well, she..."

"Not so! For you and Farina had a falling out so many years ago, did you not?"

"How on Earth did you know about that?!"

"She told me," Sain answered with a shrug.

"Oh."

"And you have yet to bring yourself to reconcile with her. How sorrowful! Two sisters, so long parted, are finally brought together by the fickle hand of fate—and they cannot begin to talk to one another!"

"Sain, we only met up with her yesterday."

"And yet to do so would mean to address the sister that is missing, to reveal her fate. And so we come back once again to your fear for fair, fallen Florina's fate. But forsooth! You fear for Florina is foundless!"

"I think you mean 'unfounded,' and..."

"For in feeling such fright, you forget that my faithful friend–"

"Sain, that's enough alliteration for now."

"Forthwith! ...I mean, yes, Dame Fiora." He paused to take a breath. "At any rate, you forget that my boon companion Kent is hot on the trail of the wayward Dame Florina and Sir Heath. ...unless, that is, you lack confidence in Kent's abilities?"

"No, he... he seems like a fine knight. But he's just one man, and we don't even know if Florina's..."

"Ah! That would be the worst-case-scenario, would it not? Yet tell me, Dame Fiora... Florina is your beloved sister, is she not? You have been by her side for years, only recently separated when you went into the Pegasus Corps., and now when she fell in battle. Correct?"

"Of course! I..."

"Then tell me, Dame Fiora, as her faithful, loving sister: do you think Florina is alive?"

"I... I don't..."

"You hesitate! That will not do at all. You must not answer from your head, Dame Fiora, but from your heart. Do not pause to think, just answer me! Is she alive?"

"Yes, she is, but..."

"And there you have it!" Sain threw up his arms in triumph.

Fiora stared at him blankly. "...what?"

"I believe that if Florina no longer drew breath, you'd be able to tell," Sain said. "And with Sir Heath and Kent to take care of her, I have no doubt that she'll be returning to us posthaste!"

Fiora could only stare at him for a moment longer before letting a smile creep across her face. "...yes, I suppose you're right. That was..."

"Sweet? Kind?" he offered hopefully.

"...bizarre," she finished. "But... a little sweet, yes."

He smiled broadly. "Your praise, Dame Fiora, is the highest reward a man can request."

She let out a sigh. "I'm sure."

Sain's eyebrows shot up. "You doubt my word? Oh, beloved Fiora, you wound me!"

"Sain, you would give those same words to any woman who lost her good judgment long enough to pay you a compliment."

"Not so!" Sain cried. "I swear that the next woman who arrives will be entirely bereft of compliments from my tongue, that they may all be paid to you!"

"Well, good, because my sister's coming this way now."

"Ah!" Sain spun around to find himself nearly face-to-face with Farina. "Dame Farina! Why, your beauty exceeds even that of your... I mean..." he glanced at Fiora. "Your beauty is nearly as great as that of your... uh..." He paused for a moment. "I think I hear Lowen calling me! Coming, Lowen!"

As he sped off, Farina arched her eyebrow at him. "Who was that?"

"Sain," Fira sighed. "You'll get used to him. ...more or less."

Farina smiled, although it was a mildly awkward, forced smile. "So... uh..."

"It's OK," Fiora sighed. "I'll go first."

"Really?"

"Really." She stepped closer. "Farina, what I said last time was... unwarranted. I spoke far too harshly. I never wanted you to leave, and I've been regretting it ever since. I... I'm sorry."

"It's OK," Farina replied, her smile losing its awkwardness and growing softer. "Besides, I did kind of set you off, didn't I?"

"Yes, but you're my sister. I ought to be able to forgive you for something like that. Besides, you were just trying to help Florina and I." She took her hand. "We need to look out for each other, right?"

"Yeah, we do," Farina sighed.

Fiora read her sister's expression and lowered her eyes. "I take it you heard about Florina."

"Hector told me, yeah," Farina replied. "Some coincidence, huh? I join a mercenary group, and find both my sisters are already members." She paused. "...only one of them is missing."

Fiora drew her into an embrace. "I know," she whispered. "I'm so sorry... if I had only been there for her..."

"It's OK." Farina's voice was wavering, but she patted her sister on the back. "You couldn't have known. And if what that Sain guy says is true, she'll be back soon, right?"

"Not if she's..."

"You said you felt she was still alive," Farina said, more firmly. "And... I feel it, too. She's OK. She'll be back with us soon."

Fiora sniffed back the tears. "Thank you, sister."

They merely held each other for a few moments in silence, before a sudden cry snapped them out of it. They turned to see Sain racing toward them once again. "Sain?" Fiora called. "What is it?"

"You had best mount up!" Sain shouted. "Wyvern riders! Flooding out of the mountains and coming this way! We're under attack!"

The sisters looked around to see several of the great beasts lifting themselves into the air, enough to darken the sky. Without another moment's pause, each ran to her pegasus and was airborne within moments.

The army was scattered about and hidden in the various hills; the closest ones banded together, readying themselves against the coming attack. "Our first priority is to reunite with the Lords!" Peter yelled to be heard over the commotion. "They're up north with Nils, Pent, and Louise!"

"You heard the man!" Sain shouted. "Group around the archers and mages, keep them safe! Once we meet up with the others, we'll fortify our position and hold them off as long as we can! Let's go!"

* * *

Louise notched an arrow to her bow and took careful aim; Pent's robes began to whip around him as he gathered magic power. Eliwood, Lyn, and Hector readied their weapons as a squadron of wyvern riders closed in on their position.

"Here they come!" Hector let out a cry, swinging his ax at the leader of the charge.

His attack never connected. As if out of nowhere, a brown blur whizzed past his shoulder and slammed into the enemy leader. The lords looked up to see their wayward new recruit, Heath, engaging the rider as their wyverns wrestled in the air. In a moment, he had dispatched the rider and was racing toward the next one, as the enemies rerouted themselves in response to the new threat.

"Lady Lyndis!" The familiar voice made Lyn tear her eyes from Heath and look around to see Florina coming in for a landing next to her. Kent rode up seconds later.

"Florina! You're all right!" Without thinking, Lyn jumped forward and threw her arms around her old friend. Florina returned her embrace, but only for a moment.

"What's going on?" Kent asked as they parted.

"What do you think?" Hector replied, waving his ax toward the wyverns. "We're under attack! The Black Fang must have heard we were coming to the palace."

Heath finally landed next to them. All the riders he hadn't taken down already were retreating and regrouping. "I think that bought us some time," he panted, looking around at the others. "Is everyone all right?"

"Yes, thanks to you," Eliwood replied.

"We could've handled them," Hector grumbled.

Eliwood ignored him. "Did you spot the others?"

Heath nodded. "They're just south of here. We were riding to meet them when we saw you were under attack, and got here as quickly as we could."

"Then we should try to unite with them. Our best chance to survive this is to fortify ourselves and try to ride it out."

"I disagree," Hector said, pointing to the north. "We should go for the leader. If we take her down, the rest will fall into disarray."

"Her?" Heath asked.

"A scary blonde woman," Hector explained. "She tried to grab Nils, but she flew when we showed up. We must have scared her off."

Eliwood shook his head. "She wasn't scared of us. She only went after the siblings to bait us out. If she's a member of the Fang, she's a new recruit; she seems more interested in fighting us than anything."

Heath blinked, and looked to where Hector had motioned. "Blonde...?"

"Something wrong?" Hector asked, peering at the rider closely.

Heath remained silent, staring at the mountains to the north.

"They're coming back!" Nils called suddenly. The wyvern riders Heath had fought off had regrouped, and were charging again.

Hector gritted his teeth. "All right, fine! We'll meet with the others! But if we get a chance to go for the leader, I'm taking it!"

"Florina," Lyn said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder, "You ride ahead and see if the others need any help. Fiora's down there, and I can tell you she's missed you almost as much as I have."

The lavender-haired knight smiled. "Of course. Thank you, Lyn."

They started south. Florina jumped atop Huey, hesitated, and called out. "Heath!"

The wyvern rider snapped out of his trance, and looked around suddenly. As he saw the others leaving, he quickly jumped onto Hyperion and started after them.

"Are you all right?" Florina asked as they both took to the air.

"I'm fine," he said. His voice and face betrayed him, though, and Florina hesitated, wondering if she should question him further, but decided that if she did, it should wait until after the battle. Heath hovered above the rest of the group; Florina flew south, casting a concerned glance in his direction as she drew away.

On the ground, Eliwood called out: "Sir Kent!"

Kent looked over his shoulder.

Eliwood greeted him with a broad smile. "You found them," he said. "Good work. And welcome back."

* * *

"Florina!"

"Sister!"

The two girls' pegasi nearly collided as they rushed toward each other. At the last instant, they banked to the side and turned parallel as they came up next to each other. Florina threw her arms around her sister. "Oh, Fiora, it's so good to see you again!"

"I'm so glad you're safe!" Fiora cried happily, pushing her sister back and holding her at arms' length. "Are you all right? You're not hurt?"

Florina shook her head. "There were a few bandits, but Heath and I managed to drive them off."

"Heath? So he's back too?" A look of concern crossed Fiora's face. "Did he treat you all right? He didn't... try anything, did he?"

Florina hesitated; it was only brief, but Fiora did take notice. "Of course not. He was... he was very kind."

Fiora pursed her lips, but nodded. "Well, at any rate, I'm glad your back. And, Florina... our sister's here, too!"

Florina's face brightened even more. "Farina? When..."

"Just yesterday. We were battling in the marshes when Lord Hector hired her."

"Where is she?"

Fiora motioned with her lance. "Peter sent her to visit some villages, warn them of the attack."

"Let's go meet her!" Florina's response was so sudden, so forceful, it caught her older sister off-guard. She was flying to the east before Fiora could even respond.

"Florina, wait!" she called, starting after her.

Farina soon came into view; she and her mount were taking to the air as the nearby village closed its gates, fortifying itself against possible attack. The blue-haired knight was glancing around, checking on the state of things, when she spotted her oncoming sisters. "Florina!" she shouted, suddenly spurring Murphy onward. "But you... I... how...?"

Huey came to a stop right next to Murphy as Florina was drawn into her third hug of the day. "It's a long story," she said. "But it doesn't matter now. I'm so glad your here!" They pushed apart and began studying each other. "Where have you been?" Florina asked. "What are you doing here?"

"That's _also_ a long story," Farina sighed. "But we can swap those later. Forgive me if I'm mistaken, but aren't we on a battlefield right now?"

"Ah, right!" Florina disengaged her sister and brought up her lance. "Lady Lyndis and the others are fighting their way south! Follow me!" She was off again before her sisters knew what was happening.

"Florina, wait up!" The two elder sisters quickly took off after her, but she had a significant head start. Farina shook her head. "She's really changed, hasn't she?"

"It's strange," Fiora replied, yelling to be heard over the ever-increasing wind. "She's still shy, yet somehow, she seems so much stronger than I remember."

"I guess all this time with the army, even being stranded like that, was a good experience for her."

Fiora hesitated before nodding in agreement. "Yes... I suppose so."

* * *

Blargh. This is another one that was supposed to be much longer, but I wound up being unable to think of what to do after this, so I just sat on it for months. Eventually I just decided to upload what I had, rather than keep trying to finish it. So Heath's confrontation with Vaida will have to wait. Sigh...


End file.
